Rise
by DragonRiderNT
Summary: Hiccup always dreamed about flying, but his father forbids him. What will happen when he finds an airframe and decides to make his own plane? Meanwhile, Astrid Hofferson is the best pilot of Berk. She is winning all the competitions until a strange person with the nickname Night Fury appears. Modern AU.
1. Chapter 1: The Event

**Hi everyone! How're you doing? I had this idea in my head for a while and now I finally, decided to write it. Hope you'll enjoy this story:)**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own HTTYD. All rights belong to Dreamworks and Cressida Cowell.**

 **Chapter 1: The Event**

"I'm happy to declare Ms. Astrid Hofferson the best pilot of Berk!" The man handed Astrid certificate, attached the gold badge on her pilot jacket and then shook her hand.

Everyone was clapping. Astrid was smiling at cameras and waving her hand.

Henry was watching all that sitting in the back row. His father insisted on him to come as the 'heir of the company' like he loved to say. Henry knew that his father was planning to give him the company but he wasn't a businessman and he didn't want to become a one.

Now he was working in his father's company, in Berk's Light-Sport Aircraft Manufacturer as an engineer. His job was repairing old sport aircraft and he loved his job.

Henry was always dreaming about becoming a pilot. The sense of freedom was always attracting him. However, his father never let him, being afraid that something will happen to him like happened to his mother.

Henry shook himself of the thoughts and continued to watch the blonde. She was gorgeous. He loved to watch how she's flying. She was doing all that rolls, loops, spins like it was nothing for her like she was just dancing.

Astrid was the tester of their aircraft. All the aircraft that they created or repaired she and some other people were testing before putting them on the sale.

His father was overjoyed that Astrid became the best pilot of Berk. That was very good for the company. Many people were shaking hands with her and then with his father.

Henry stood up and wanted to leave when the voice of his father stopped him. "Hiccup!"

That nickname he got after an 'accident' when he was little. Now his all friends and relatives were calling him like that.

Hiccup turned to see his father trying to pass the crowd. When he finally stood in front of him he said.

"Son, this evening will be an event in Berk plaza. We'll be celebrating this achievement. I would like you to be there too."

"Dad but I don't want to be there," protested Hiccup. "I don't know anyone there and I don't want to go and stand there just to be present."

"Hiccup, as my son you need to be there," said Stoick seriously this time. "Today at 7 o'clock I want to see you in Berk plaza. Okay?"

"Okay," said Hiccup defeated. It was useless to argue with his father. He turned and went towards the exit. He was already leaving the building when he heard his father's voice.

"And don't be late!"

Hiccup sighed and left.

* * *

Hiccup entered his house. His father was rarely being at home. He was too busy with his job. His father was always on business trips, and if he wasn't, he was coming home late at night and leaving early in the morning.

The house was really big. However, it was cozy. On the first floor were the dining room, kitchen and his father's bedroom. Hiccup's bedroom was in the roof room. In his room were his bed, bookshelf, and his working desk.

Hiccup loved to work at night. He was always staying late at night and doing sketches and working on his projects. Hiccup always wished that one day he could design and create his own aircraft. It was his dream and he hoped that someday it would come true.

His desk was all in sketches of planes and dragons. Hiccup was amazed by those majestic creatures that lived a thousand years ago. His favorite dragon was Night Fury. It was a black mystical dragon about whom was known very few things. People were saying that he was the offspring of lighting and death itself.

In Hiccup's room, with him, was living his four-legged friend, Toothless, and when Hiccup entered the house he called.

"Toothless, I'm home," hearing his owner's voice Toothless, the black Labrador, ran from the kitchen and began to lick his owner.

"Okay, bud, that's enough," said Hiccup trying to stop his overjoyed dog.

"Sorry Toothless, but I'm gonna leave you again this evening," said Hiccup sadly. His dog understanding that his owner is going to leave him, whined.

"I know, I know, but my father wants me to be in that event," said Hiccup frustrated.

"Today at 7 o'clock I want to see you in Berk plaza," continued Hiccup imitating his father. Hiccup sighed and smiling at his dog said.

"Let's go to my room. You can help me in choosing what to wear. I don't want to get another lecture about what I've worn."

* * *

Hiccup checked the time on his phone and it was 18:45. He entered the Berk plaza. It was built two years ago and it was the most modern building in Berk. After watching the plaza's architecture, Hiccup went to the room where should be passing the event.

His father was already there, talking with some people. Hiccup tried to unnoticeably pass near the crowd but his father noticed him and took him to his friends.

"This is my son, Henry," Stoick introduced his son. Hiccup shook hands with a stranger, fake smile on his face.

It passed already a half hour but his father was still continuing to talk with strangers and Hiccup had to shook hands with them. His cheeks were already aching because of the fake smiles. Hiccup understood that if he would not take measures he will be stuck there for really long.

"Um, dad, I have to go somewhere," said Hiccup to his father.

"Yeah, go," his father answered busy with talking to one of his business partners.

Hiccup quickly walked away trying to find a place when he can hide from his father. Suddenly he bumped into someone and they both fell on the floor.

"Oh, I'm so sorry," said Hiccup. He raised his head and noticed that in front of him was sitting Astrid. Hiccup quickly got up and helped her.

"Wow! Where were you rushing like that?" Asked Astrid standing up. She was wearing a simple red dress and her hair was in a side braid, like always.

"Um, I was trying to hide from my father," said Hiccup chuckling and rubbing back of his neck.

"Trying to hide from your father? Why?" Asked Astrid confused.

"If I stayed there any longer," said Hiccup gesturing the crowd. "I don't know how many handshakes and fake smiles I could handle." Why was he saying all that things to Astrid? He didn't know. Then Astrid chuckled and he chuckled too.

"I see your father is an important person," said Astrid. The conversation was already getting awkward.

"Yeah," answered Hiccup not knowing what else to say.

"I'm Astrid, Astrid Hofferson," said Astrid holding her hand in front of her.

"Yeah, the girl who's the best pilot of Berk," said Hiccup in his sarcastic tone.

"I see you already know me," Astrid said smirking.

"I'm Henry, Henry Haddock," said Hiccup shaking her hand.

"Your father is Stoick Haddock?" asked Astrid surprised.

"Yeah, that's him," answered Hiccup.

"He's a good man," said Astrid. After some awkward silence, she said. "Um, I have to go. See you later."

Saying that Astrid left. Hiccup returned to his father. After some more handshakes and fake smiles, he left the event.

When Hiccup arrived home it was already late. His overjoyed dog attacked him, again. He went upstairs to his room and laid on his bed. The only thought that was in his mind was that he talked with Astrid, with Astrid Hofferson.

 **So that was it. I hope you liked the beginning of the story. Please tell me what you think and until next time :)**


	2. Chapter 2: The finding

**Hi everyone! I'm back with a new chapter! Thank you all for favs/follows/reviews, they mean a lot to me. In this chapter, we'll meet other members of the gang. Also, I want to say that all planes and aerobatics that I've used here are real. I tried to be as more truthful as possible.**

 **Chapter 2: The Finding**

Hiccup was feeling something warm and wet on his face. He slowly opened his eyes and saw that Toothless is licking him.

"Toothless! Get off of me!"

Hiccup sat on his bed and tried to clean the saliva from his face. It wasn't easy because he was literally drowning in it. He splattered some saliva on his dog's face. Toothless cleaned his face with his paw.

Hiccup cleaned his hands and took his phone from the nightstand. It was already 8:30. He overslept! He quickly kicked the blankets off him and get out of his bed.

"Thanks, bud!"

Now he understood why his dog had licked him. He was trying to wake him up! He was very dreamy yesterday, and he had slept that deep that he even hadn't heard the sound of his alarm. He was feeling guilty that he yelled at his friend but seeing Toothless' gummy smile his guilt disappeared.

Hiccup went to the bathroom and quickly had a shower. Then he opened his wardrobe and took his jeans and red checkered shirt. He quickly wore them and rushed downstairs. Hiccup filled Toothless' bowl, took his keys and backpack, and then left the house.

* * *

When Hiccup entered the building it was already 9:10. The company was outside the town, away from any buildings, so it took Hiccup a half hour to get there. He was hoping that no one will notice that he was late. He entered his room and sighed in relief, no one noticed him.

"I see you overslept," said his neighbor. "Again."

"Good morning, Fishlegs," greeted Hiccup his friend Fisher "Fishlegs" Ingerman.

"Was working on your projects until late night?" asked Fishlegs continuing to work. Hiccup was doing that very often so he didn't surprise that his friend asked him about that.

"Nah, just was dreamy and slept deep," answered Hiccup and went to his table. He didn't want to spoil everything immediately, so he just began to beat around the bush.

"Dreamy, huh? What happened?" asked Fishlegs smirking.

"Nothing. Just went to an event yesterday and talked with Astrid Hofferson," answered Hiccup like it was a normal thing to do.

"You talked with Astrid Hofferson!?" asked Fishlegs shocked. You needed to see Fishlegs' face. Hiccup nodded holding his laugh. "That Astrid Hofferson at whom you're staring every time!?"

Hiccup glared at his friend and opened his laptop.

"Not bad," said Fishlegs nodding his head. "Not bad."

* * *

Hiccup didn't feel how the time passed. He was very concentrated on his project. He was thinking about how to put a new generation engine on the old aircraft. And he was deep in thoughts when Fishlegs interrupted him.

"You know, Hiccup, it's already break time. Time for having a break," Fishlegs said the last sentence separating words like he was explaining something to a child. "Not for working. Let's go to the cafeteria.'

"Actually, you're right," said Hiccup. "I'm starving."

Hiccup hadn't had time to have breakfast this morning. He stood up and left the room with Fishlegs.

Their cafeteria was huge. It had minimum hundred tables and still, that wasn't enough. They have food for all tastes, beginning with burgers and pizzas, and ending with Japanese cuisine. The cafeteria was on the last floor and instead of a front wall, there was a huge window, which was opening sight to the runway.

After standing in a long line, their turn had come. They finally get their dishes and went to sit at their table. They always were sitting at the table near the huge window, because Hiccup loved to watch how planes are flying.

Hiccup was lucky today. He looked outside and noticed that it's flying his favorite pilot, Astrid. He was watching how her blue-white Edge 540 was soaring in the sky. At first, she was flying straight then she began to fly upside down. She straightened again and began to do a loop. After the loop, she began to roll and spin. Then she did a loop again but this time rolling. After all that aerobatics she landed and get out of the plane. She talked with a raven-haired girl and disappeared from his sight.

Hiccup and Fishlegs finished their lunch and went back to work.

* * *

Astrid got out of her plane and took off her helmet. Heather, her best friend, and her assistant approached and said.

"Good warm up, Astrid. Get ready, tomorrow at 3 o'clock you need to test an Aviasud Mistral that was repaired recently."

"An Aviasud Mistral. Interesting," said Astrid. Aviasud Mistral was an ultralight biplane whose maximum speed was 155km/h. It was the first aircraft of its type that had flown to the geographic North Pole. So she was interested in testing it.

After talking with Heather, Astrid noticed that her friends were standing near the hangar, so she went to them.

"Hey, Astrid," greeted twins, Rachel "Ruff" and Thomas "Tuff" Thorstons, simultaneously. They were standing near their Yak 110. It was green and yellow twin fuselage sport aircraft. Twins were the best pilots of that type of aircraft, or the only ones that were crazy enough to fly it.

"Hey," greeted Sean "Snotlout" Jorgensen. He was leaned on his red Sukhoi Su-29. Snotlout was one of the best pilots that Astrid knew but she never told him that because if she did he would walk with puffed chest until the end of his days.

These four were friends since the first day in Berk's aviation college.

"Hey, guys," greeted Astrid her friends. "What's up? Why you took your planes from the hangar?"

"We want to race," answered Tuff excited.

"Yeah, to race," echoed Ruff his brother.

"Everyone knows that I'll win," said Snotlout cleaning dirt underneath his fingers.

"Let's see," said Astrid smirking and they all went to their planes.

* * *

It was already six o'clock. Hiccup unplugged his drawing pad, closed his laptop and put them in his backpack. He said goodbye to Fishlegs and left the building. It was a long and tiring day. He got into his car and drove towards home.

His way was passing through green fields. Suddenly something caught his eye. He slowed down and looked closely. It was something black and it was looking like a …plane?

Hiccup turned his car and began to drove through fields. He got out of the car and approached the object, which was an airframe if more correctly an airframe of a black MX Aircraft MX2. MX Aircraft MX2 was one of the best light-sport aircraft and Hiccup wondered who could leave such a thing here.

Hiccup looked around. Near the airframe were pieces of metal, car frames, tubes. There was no populated area near than 4km, so that meant this was some kind of a dump for metal.

He began to study the airframe. It was very dirty. Looked like it was there for three months. If he could clean and paint it, the airframe would look like new.

Suddenly an idea sparked in his mind. That could be his chance, his chance to build his own aircraft! He got into his car and drove home. He couldn't wait to begin working on building his own aircraft.

 **So that was it. I hope you liked this chapter. If you want, you can watch the photos of aircraft that I used here. I think it might be interesting.**

 **About the twins' aircraft. At first, I was thinking to give each of them a Pitts Special, but then I found the Yak 110. It was fitting perfect for them! And I really liked the name ;) So I gave twins a Yak 110.**

 **Please tell me what you think. I'm accepting constructive criticism. It helps me to write better. Have a nice day and until next time :)**


	3. Chapter 3: The Testing

**Hi everyone! I'm back with a new chapter! Sorry, that I'm updating late, but the wave of laziness hit me. I could write and publish this three days ago, but instead of that, I've been reading fanfictions 48 hours non-stop and then sleeping on the next day. :'D**

 **Anyways, I want to thank you all for favs/follows/reviews. And now I'm gonna answer to reviews :)**

 **To Guest:** I've had no idea that Yak-110 existed too! I was just watching aerobatics videos on YouTube when suddenly I found it. When I first saw it, the first thing I thought was. 'How people are even flying this!?'. And about your guesses, I can say only one thing- You're reading my mind!

 **To Guest64:** It would be cool if Hiccup went nuts, but there's a problem. I watched the speeds of many LSAs and the fastest ones had 450km/h speed. I think that it will be not save if the LSA will be very fast. So Hiccup will use a regular piston engine, but with few updates ;)

 **To jako:** You're right. And I know how I'm gonna use it. But no spoilers!

 **To drova:** Wow! That plane is really cool! And I'm definitely gonna use it!

 **To Plaudertasche:** I don't think that Fishlegs will fly a plane in this story. But I know where I can use that plane :)

 **Chapter 3: The Testing**

Hiccup woke up because of a beeping sound. He groaned, rubbed his eyes, and raised his head. He had been asleep on his desk. Hiccup took his phone and turned off the alarm. It was 8:00. He looked down. Toothless was asleep curled near his legs. He carefully stood up trying to not wake him.

Yesterday he stayed until late at night. He was designing his aircraft. Hiccup already decided what type engine he will use, what flight instruments his aircraft will have, and how it will look. And he was very satisfied with the result.

Hiccup had a shower, got dressed, took the sketches that he had done last night and went downstairs. He was searching for his backpack when he saw Toothless running downstairs.

"I see you already have woken up," said Hiccup petting his dog that was already standing by his side. "Toothless can you help me find my backpack?"

Toothless barked and began to search. After a few minutes, he approached Hiccup holding the backpack in his mouth.

"Thanks, bud. I don't know what would I do without you," said Hiccup and took his backpack from Toothless' mouth. Its handle was all in saliva. "Not perfect, but it'll do."

Hiccup had a breakfast, filled Toothless' bowl, took his keys, and left the house.

* * *

Hiccup entered his room. Fishlegs wasn't there. He sat on the chair and opened his laptop. Instead of opening the files of the project that he had been working on, he opened a new file and began working on his aircraft. After fifteen minutes Fishlegs arrived, they talked a bit and then continued to work.

It was break time. Hiccup already had made a 3D model of his aircraft, decided which engine he will use, and found the places when he could get what he needed.

"Hey, Hiccup," said Fishlegs. "Are you coming?"

"Yes, of course," answered Hiccup and they went to the cafeteria.

They took their dishes and sat at their table, as always. Hiccup looked at the runway. No one was flying. He was a bit disappointed but he continued to eat. Suddenly he noticed Astrid in the line. She was talking to her friends. After a while, Astrid noticed him and waved. Hiccup waved too.

"I see she remembers you," said Fishlegs nudging Hiccup.

"And what?" asked Hiccup.

"Nothing," answered Fishlegs smirking and continued to eat.

After lunch, Fishlegs returned to their room and Hiccup went to the runway. At 3 o'clock it would be the testing of Aviasud Mistral that he repaired recently. It was still early, but he sat on a bench and began waiting.

* * *

Astrid checked the time on her phone. It was 14:45. There was still fifteen minutes until testing. Astrid just began to walk here and there. After some time, she noticed that someone is driving the plane to the runway. A minute later, the plane was already standing on the runway.

Suddenly she noticed Henry sitting on a bench. Astrid didn't know that he was working here, until this afternoon, when she saw him at the cafeteria. She decided to went and talk to him.

She approached Henry and sat beside him on the bench. He was reading something on his phone.

"Hi," she greeted

Hiccup raised his head and noticed her.

"Hi, Astrid," Hiccup greeted back.

"I didn't know that you're working here," said Astrid. She wanted to know what's his profession. Maybe he was a businessman like his father? Or an engineer?

"Yeah, I'm working here as an design engineer," said Hiccup. So he was an design engineer. In that case, what he was doing here? Astrid remembered their last encounter and what Hiccup had said about his father. Maybe he insisted on him to come?

"How I'm guessing, your father insisted on you to come here?" asked Astrid.

"Actually, no," said Hiccup. "It's just today will be testing an Aviasud Mistral that I repaired recently."

"You repaired that plane!?" asked Astrid surprised. "That's cool!"

"Um, thanks," said Hiccup rubbing back of his neck.

But wait, if he was an design engineer, how he could repair the plane? How Astrid knew the design engineers weren't repairing planes. They were just designing them.

"But, Henry, if you're an design engineer, how could you repair the plane?" asked Astrid confused.

"I'm not only an design engineer," said Hiccup. "I'm also repairing the planes. I learned to do that since I was just a kid."

"In that case, I hope you don't want to kill me," said Astrid chuckling. "Because I'm the one who's gonna test it."

"Ah, don't worry your death will be fast," said Hiccup casually.

The smile disappeared from Astrid's face. Hiccup noticed that and began to laugh.

"I'm kidding," said Hiccup continuing to laugh. Astrid began to laugh too.

"You're maybe very excited. You are gonna test the first Ultralight Biplane that was in the geographic North Pole," said Hiccup.

"It's that same plane!?" asked Astrid surprised. Wow! Heather didn't tell her that she's gonna test that same plane.

"You didn't know?" asked Hiccup.

"No, I just knew that I need to test and Aviasud Mistral," said Astrid.

"Well, it's that same plane," said Hiccup.

Astrid wanted to say something, but the voice of the announcer interrupted her.

"Astrid Hofferson, please come to the runway. Testing will begin from three minutes."

"I need to go," said Astrid. She waved her hand and began to run to the runway. "See you later!"

"Good luck!" cried Hiccup after Astrid.

After a minute, Astrid was standing near the plane, panting. When she caught her breath, she opened the door and sat on the plane.

'Wow! Henry did a really good job,' Astrid though.

The plane was looking like new. Astrid put on her seat belt and headphones.

"Astrid, are you ready?" It was Heather.

"Yep," said Astrid and did few checks. Everything was normal- fuel was full, brakes were working, and all avionics power was switched off. She started the engine and began to drive on the runway. After a few seconds, she was in the air.

Since this plane wasn't intended for aerobatics, Astrid just did few laps and landed. The plane was working perfectly, and it was very easy to control it.

She took off the headphones and seat belt, and then get out of the plane. Everyone was clapping. She saw that many people were shaking hands with Henry and congratulating him. She wanted to congratulate him too, but there were too many people. So she just decided to leave and find Heather.

* * *

It was 6:20. Hiccup was sitting on his chair, exhausted. Fishlegs already had left. Testing passed successfully and after it, many people came to congratulate him. Because of that, he had to stand there an hour and shook hands with everyone.

Hiccup unplugged the drawing pad, closed his laptop, and put them in his backpack. He left the building and got into his car. Hiccup drove towards the field where he found the airframe, yesterday. He needed to pick it up and take it with him. But there was a problem, his car wasn't intended for that.

Also, there was another problem. He didn't know where to take the airframe. His garage was too small, and he couldn't work there, because he hadn't got instruments.

Then it dawned on Hiccup. There was only one person that could help him. He took his phone from the pocket, opened contacts, and called …Gobber.

 **Ta da dam! Gobber made his debut! Please tell me what you think, and I'm accepting constructive criticism, as always. Until next time :)**


	4. Chapter 4: Memory

**Hi! The new chapter is here! Thank you all for 1400+ views! That means a lot to me. Also, thank you for favs/follows/reviews. I want to say that I'm reading all your reviews and I appreciate them very much. Here I'll answer to reviews where you asked me questions or gave me suggestions.**

 **To No Account:** Yep, Astrid noticed Hiccup. And Hiccup is always working there. Also, I wanted to say that I haven't ignored your last review. I've read it, and I appreciate it very much :)

 **To Guest:** I'm sorry about grammar mistakes. English is not my mother language and I'm trying my best to write right. About the engineer thing, I always was thinking that engineers are designing and not building. I changed Hiccup's profession to design engineer, and I think now it will be right. Thank you for warning me about that :)

 **To Guest:** I think that this chapter will answer your question :)

 **To CommanderGreya:** Yes, Hiccup is building his own plane. I would like to answer your other questions, but there will be many spoilers.

 **Chapter 4: Memory**

Gobber was sitting on his couch and watching TV when his phone rang. He took it from the table and looked at the name. It was Hiccup. Oh, he missed that lad. Gobber answered the call.

"Hello, lad."

" _Hi, Gobber."_

"How are ya doin'?"

" _Good, and you?"_

"I'm good too, lad."

" _Gobber, can I ask you for a favor?"_

"Of course, everything ya need,"

" _Can you come to Dragon highway, with your truck? You will notice my car. I'll tell you everything there."_

"I'll be there after twenty minutes."

Gobber stood up, took his keys, and left the house. Interesting, what was the lad up for this time?

* * *

Hiccup put his phone back in the pocket. Gobber was his father's best friend, and he knew him since he was a kid. Gobber was always supporting him, no matter what. He was like a second father to him.

Hiccup leaned on the airframe and began to wait. He hoped that Gobber would let him work in his workshop. He worked there many times. Actually, Gobber was the one who taught him how to repair aircraft.

A memory flashed in his mind…

 _Five-year-old Hiccup was in his room, playing with his dragon toys. Recently, his dad began to be at home rarely. It was upsetting Hiccup. He was going somewhere named 'work'. Hiccup didn't like being alone._

 _He heard how the door opened. He rushed downstairs and saw his dad._

" _Daddy!" cried Hiccup running to him, and hugging him. "I missed you."_

" _I missed you too," said his dad and hugged him back._

" _Daddy, I don't want to stay at home alone, anymore," said Hiccup looking at his dad with his big green eyes._

 _Stoick sighed and kneeled watching at his son. "Tomorrow, you will not be alone, I promise."_

 _Next morning Hiccup woke up because someone was shaking him. He cracked open his big green eyes and smiled. Yesterday his dad promised that he will not be alone anymore! His dad was standing next to the bed._

" _Good morning, son. Get ready, we need to leave from ten minutes," said his dad._

 _Where are they gonna go? Hiccup didn't know, but he was very excited. He got out of his bed and began to prepare. When he was ready, he went downstairs. His dad was making breakfast._

" _Oh, Hiccup, you're ready," said his dad noticing him. "Come, I made breakfast for us."_

 _Hiccup approached the kitchen table and sat on the chair. His dad put in front of him a plate with bacon and eggs. He began to eat his breakfast. Hiccup was curious about where they gonna go._

" _Dad, where we're gonna go?" he asked._

" _You'll see," answered his dad._

 _When they ended up eating breakfast, they get out of the home and get into the car. His dad helped him to put on the seatbelt and sat on the driver seat. The car began driving. Hiccup was watching out of the window. He loved doing that._

 _They stopped in front of a house. It wasn't big, and it wasn't very tidy. They get out of the car and his dad took him to the building next to the house. It was looking like a garage. But when they entered, Hiccup understood that It wasn't a garage. It was a workshop!_

 _Hiccup was very interested in craftsmanship. He really loved to play with his blocks, and when his dad wasn't at home, he was always watching the TV program where they were showing how things are made. He hoped that someday he could create his own things!_

 _Hiccup was amazed seeing that place. He just wanted to run and touch everything! His thoughts were interrupted when a man with no left arm, and with no right hand came out from the room. Hiccup was scared of that man! He quickly hid behind his father._

 _The man approached them and hugged his father._

" _Ah, Stoick! It's good to see ya!" said the man and broke the hug._

" _It's good to see you too Gobber," said his father._

" _How's going the work?" asked the man, whose name was Gobber._

" _Not bad," began Stoick._

 _His dad was talking about the work, but Hiccup wasn't listening. He was busy inspecting Gobber. He was shorter than his father and he had a blonde braided mustache. Hiccup's eyes landed on Gobber's arm, it was some kind of a hook, and then he looked at his peg leg._

" _And who's there?" asked Gobber._

 _Hiccup turned his attention to the man, understanding that he was talking to him. He hid behind his father, even more still afraid of the man._

" _You might be Hiccup," said Gobber._

" _Come on Hiccup, say hello," said his father nudging him._

 _He came out from his hiding place, still not looking at the man._

" _Hello," he murmured._

" _Come on, lad, Don't be afraid," said Gobber. "Do you want to see something cool?"_

 _Hiccup looked at the man and said._

" _Yeah."_

" _Then, come!" said Gobber and went further into the workshop._

 _Hiccup followed the man and when they went inside another room he saw something amazing! It was something metallic and red! It had wings like dragon and little wheels! There was a place where people can sit! He had never seen something like that!_

" _Wow! What is this?" asked Hiccup amazed._

" _I see you have never seen a plane before," said Gobber chuckling. "This is an airplane. You can fly with it."_

" _Fly!? Like dragons!?" asked Hiccup shocked. He was always dreaming about flying. And now in front of him was standing 'airplane', thing that can help him fly!_

" _Yeah, you can fly with that like dragons," answered Gobber. Hiccup's eyes went wide. So that meant, he could really fly! Hiccup quickly ran to his father and said._

" _Dad! Please! Can I fly?" He did puppy eyes and continued. "Please! Please! Please!"_

" _You're still very young for that," answered his dad. "Maybe later."_

 _Hiccup was a bit upset that he can't fly, but his dad said he could fly when he got older!_

" _Hiccup, as I promised yesterday, you will not be alone today," said his dad. "I hope you don't mind if you'll stay with Gobber."_

" _Of course!" Hiccup couldn't wait to know more about the 'airplane'. And also maybe Gobber will teach him how to make things._

 _Hiccup went and hugged his dad tightly, well as tight as he could, because his father was really huge._

" _I'll come and pick you up today at evening," said his dad and hugged him back._

 _Hiccup broke the hug and said._

" _Bye, dad."_

" _Bye, son," said his dad and left._

 _Hiccup left there standing and watching at Gobber. The man went somewhere and returned with a tool in his hand. He approached the airplane and began working on it. After some time, Gobber noticed him standing there and said._

" _Don't just stand there. Don't you wanna help?"_

 _Hiccup nodded excitedly._

" _Then come here," said Gobber. Hiccup smiled and went to Gobber._

Hiccup smiled at the memory. After some time, he heard a beep and saw the familiar truck.

 **The end. Here was a bit about Hiccup's childhood. You know, actually, this chapter wasn't going to be about Hiccup's memory. I just thought that it will be cool to write how Hiccup met Gobber for the first time, and I wrote. I noticed that it already had 1000+ words, so I decided to publish it as a separate chapter.**

 **Fun fact: This is the first chapter in the story, whose name isn't beginning with 'the' :p**

 **Have a nice day! And until next time :D**


	5. Chapter 5: Stoick's memory

**The new chapter is here! Wow! This story has 48 followers, 29 favorites, 20 reviews and 2,263 views! Thank you all for that!**

 **Chapter 5: Stoick's Memory**

Stoick entered his office and fell on the chair exhausted. It was a long and tiring day. He had three meetings with his partners, a lot of paperwork, and many many visitors. His head was aching crazily. He went to the fridge, took a bag with ice, and put it on his head.

He heard that today's testing passed perfectly. Clients liked the work very much. He couldn't be prouder of his son. He always knew that someday he would become a great engineer. And now, he is one of the best engineers in their company.

Hiccup surely knew his way with planes. Stoick remembered how his son saw an airplane for the first time…

 **Many years ago**

Stoick was exhausted and very worried. He had never left Hiccup alone at home this long. Three days ago, he received an email from Berk's Light-Sport Aircraft Manufacturer-from his company, that he needs to return.

It passed five years since Valka died. After that, he couldn't return to the company, where everything was reminding about her. Instead of that, he was staying at home and raising their son.

Stoick got out of the car and entered the house. When he saw his son running downstairs, he forgot all tiredness.

"Daddy!" cried Hiccup running to him, and hugging him. "I missed you."

"I missed you too," Stoick said and hugged him back.

Three hours. Three hours Hiccup was alone at home. He didn't want to leave Hiccup alone, but he couldn't do anything else.

 _Today Stoick received an email from Berk's Light-Sport Aircraft Manufacturer, which was saying that he needs to return. He asked their neighbors to look after Hiccup and they agreed. He took Hiccup to their house and went to work. After a few hours, he returned and went to their neighbors' house. When they were going home Hiccup wasn't talking._

 _Next day he took Hiccup to the neighbors again. After work, he went to neighbors' house and knocked on the door. The door opened David._

" _Um, Stoick, nice to see you," he said nervously._

" _Where is Hiccup? I came to take him," said Stoick._

" _Um, that's the problem," David said rubbing back of his neck. "We don't know where he is."_

" _What!?" Stoick was ready to kill that man right now, for losing his son. He pushed him and entered the house. He began to search everywhere, but he couldn't find him. He left the house._

 _Stoick already took his phone and was dialing the police. He entered his house and the sight shocked him. Hiccup was sitting in the living room and playing with his dragon toys. Stoick ran and hugged his son._

That happened yesterday, and Stoick understood that Hiccup will not stay with their neighbors. Today he had to leave him at home alone. He couldn't work all the time, because he was thinking about Hiccup.

"Daddy, I don't want to stay at home alone, anymore," said Hiccup looking at him with his big green eyes, with Valka's eyes.

Stoick sighed and kneeled watching at his son. "Tomorrow, you will not be alone, I promise."

He didn't know how he's gonna do that, but he promised Hiccup that tomorrow he will not be alone, and Stoick Haddock always keeps his promises.

Hiccup went back to his room. Stoick sat on the chair and began thinking. After some time, it dawned on him. He remembered how a few days ago when he returned home from a visit to the market, he saw him watching TV show- 'How it's made'.

He noticed that his son is very interested in engineering. He took his phone and called Gobber.

" _Hello, Stoick. How are ya doing?"_

"I'm good Gobber. How is your work?"

" _Good."_

"Gobber, can I ask you for a favor?"

* * *

Next morning Stoick went to Hiccup's room and began slightly shaking him. Hiccup opened his eyes and smiled.

"Good morning, son. Get ready, we need to leave from ten minutes," Stoick said and left the room. He went to the kitchen and began cooking breakfast.

After five minutes, he saw Hiccup coming downstairs.

"Oh, Hiccup, you're ready," he said. "Come, I made breakfast for us."

Hiccup came and sat on the chair. Stoick put a plate with his breakfast in front of him and they began to eat.

"Dad, where we're gonna go?" asked Hiccup.

"You'll see," Stoick answered.

They ended up eating breakfast and get out of the house. They get into the car. Stoick helped Hiccup to put on his seatbelt and sat on the driver seat. He started the engine and pressed the gas pedal. The car began to move.

Stoick was deep in thoughts. What if Hiccup didn't like Gobber? What if he refused to stay at the workshop? What if he got offended? Stoick didn't know what he would do in that case. He knew that Hiccup would not stay with their neighbors and he knew, that he couldn't stay with Hiccup. He hoped that his son will like Gobber's workshop.

After some time, they arrived at Gobber's house. They got out of the car and went to the workshop. When they entered, he noticed that Hiccup was amazed, it looked like he wanted to run and touch everything! Gobber came out of the room. Seeing Gobber, Hiccup quickly hid behind him.

Gobber approached them and hugged him.

"Ah, Stoick! It's good to see ya!"

"It's good to see you too Gobber," he answered.

"How's going work," asked Gobber.

"Not bad," he began. "I already have done the paperwork and today I need to go to the company and began working."

Stoick looked at Hiccup who was hiding behind him and then at Gobber. Gobber nodded and said.

"And who's there?"

Seeing that Hiccup wasn't answering, Gobber continued.

"You might be Hiccup."

Stoick decided to push his son a little, so he said.

"Come on Hiccup, say hello."

Hiccup came out from his hiding place and murmured a 'hello'. Stoick looked at Gobber, hoping that he would know what to do.

"Come on, lad. Don't be afraid," said Gobber. "Do you want to see something cool?"

Hiccup looked at Gobber and said a 'yeah', this time more confident.

"Then, come!" said Gobber and they went further into the workshop.

There was standing red Denney Kitfox. He noticed that his son was amazed. After watching the plane for a while, Hiccup said.

"Wow! What is this?"

"I see you have never seen a plane before," said Gobber chuckling. Of course he hadn't seen a plane before, Gobber! "This is an airplane. You can fly with it."

"Fly!? Like dragons!?" asked Hiccup shocked. His son was obsessed with dragons. He remembered how Valka made a dragon toy for him. Hiccup had been crying all the time when he was a babe, but when Valka handed him the toy he stopped crying and began playing with it. Since that day Hiccup was sleeping with that toy every day.

"Yeah, you can fly with that like dragons," Gobber answered.

Hiccup quickly ran to his father and said.

"Dad! Please! Can I fly?" He did puppy eyes and continued. "Please! Please! Please!"

He would never let his son fly on a plane! He couldn't handle the loss of his son! But he also couldn't break his little boy's dreams so he said.

"You're still very young for that. Maybe later."

Then he kneeled watching at his son and said.

"Hiccup, as I promised yesterday, you will not be alone today. I hope you don't mind if you'll stay with Gobber?"

"Of course!" said Hiccup. Stoick sighed in relief and stood up.

Hiccup hugged his dad.

"I'll come and pick you up today at evening," Stoick said and hugged his son back.

"Bye, dad."

"Bye, son," he said and left the workshop.

He got into the car and began driving towards the company. He still couldn't forget Hiccup's words. He would never let his son fly! Never! He couldn't handle his loss! A tear fell on his check. He remembered Valka…

 **Back to our days**

Stoick leaned on the back of his chair. He took the phone from his pocket and made a call.

" _Hey, dad."_

"Hey, son. Wanna go play bowling today?"

 **So that's it. A bit more about Valka's past. Please tell me what you think. And now to reviews. This time I decided to answer them in the end.**

 **To Eris:** Thank you :) I enjoyed writing little Hiccup.

 **To Guest:** Stoick had left Hiccup only for 3 hours. But since Hiccup have never been alone it seemed a really long time for him.

 **To Mark:** Hmm… I don't know if the LCD central screen will be comfortable for flying a plane. I've never seen an LSA with it. When the time will come, I'll think about using it. Thanks for the suggestion :)


	6. Chapter 6: The Bowling

**Hi guys! How are you doing? Sorry that I'm updating late. I know the last two chapters didn't move the plot forward, but I really felt like writing them. I want to thank you all for reviews. Your advices and compliments are really helping me:) So, here's the new chapter. I hope you'll enjoy it:)**

 **Chapter 6: The Bowling**

Hiccup heard a beep and saw the familiar truck. From the truck came out a middle-aged man. Hiccup smiled seeing his godfather. Gobber approached him and gave a bone-crushing hug.

"Gobber… can't… breath," Hiccup managed to say. Of course! It couldn't be without the bone-crushing hug that his father and Gobber liked that much!

Gobber let Hiccup go and patting Hiccup's back said.

"Oh, I missed you, lad."

"I missed you too, Gobber," said Hiccup. Lately, he was very busy with his work and he didn't have time to visit Gobber at his workshop and help him like he was always doing.

Gobber noticed the big black shape behind him and said.

"I see ya find a quite good thing here." He approached the airframe and began inspecting it.

"Yeah, that's what I wanted to talk about. I want to make my own aircraft using this," said Hiccup gesturing to the airframe. "I already have designed everything- I decided what engine I'll use, what flight instruments it will have, and I'm hoping that you'll let me work in your workshop."

"Of course ye can work in the workshop!" said Gobber. "It's mine as its yer's."

"Thanks, Gobber, I really appreciate it," said Hiccup happy that now he could begin working.

"C'mon, laddie. Let's load this intae the truck," said Gobber and went to his truck. He drove the truck nearer to the airframe and got out of the vehicle. He went to the left side of the airframe when Hiccup went to the right side. They lifted it up and put it in the truck. It was good that the airframe wasn't too heavy. It was made from carbon fiber, and carbon fiber was a light material.

When they ended up loading the airframe Gobber got into his truck when Hiccup got into the car and they began driving towards the workshop.

After twenty minutes, they arrived. Gobber helped Hiccup to unload the airframe and put it in the workshop.

"So, lad," said Gobber dusting his hands. "What are ya planning to do?"

"Well, I want to make it fast, maneuverable and light. I'm planning to use Lycoming O-54, and I was thinking I could do some modifications and make it suitable for the airframe. And about flight instruments, it will have central LED screen where will be displayed altimeter, airspeed indicator, gyroscopic systems, navigational systems, in one word everything the pilot needs," answered Hiccup.

"In that case, ya have a plenty work to do," said Gobber.

Hiccup nodded and approached the airframe. He began making sure that it was placed right when his phone rang. He cleaned his hands, took his phone from the pocket and picked the call.

"Hey, dad," he said.

 _"Hey, son. Wanna go play bowling today?"_

"Yeah, of course. But don't you have work to do?" asked Hiccup. He knew that his father was a very busy man, and he barely had time to rest. And now their company's stocks were rising and they were many contracts signed every day.

" _I always have time for my son. I'll meet you at the Dragon mall, after half an hour."_

"Okay, in that case, see you after half hour," said Hiccup. He was happy that he's gonna spend time with his father. And he knew that Stoick Haddock-owner of Berk's Light-Sport Aircraft Manufacturer really needed to get some rest.

" _See you."_

Saying that his father ended the call. Hiccup put his phone back in the pocket and looked at Gobber.

"It was Dad. He was asking if I want to go play bowling. Um, maybe you want to come?" asked Hiccup rubbing the back of his neck.

"I'll stay," answered Gobber. "I have plenty work tae da. Also, I don't wanna tae interrupt father and son time."

Hiccup smiled and then said.

"If you want I can stay and help, I'll only need 5 minutes to arrive at the mall."

"I'll be pleased," said Gobber and they began to work.

* * *

Stoick ended the call and smiled. He couldn't spend time with his son very frequently and he really missed him. He stood up, took his belongings and left his office.

"Um, sorry sir, are you leaving?" asked Phlegma. She was a middle-aged woman with dark brown hair and light brown eyes. She was always wrapping her hair in a bun and wearing a costume. Phlegma was his secretary since he began working here after the _accident._

"Yes, I'm leaving," answered Stoick and continued to walk towards exit.

"But, sir, from ten minutes will come agent from Mulch's Engines," said Phlegma worried. She stood up and began walking towards Stoick.

"Say him, that I had very important things to do or something like that. Think about something," answered Stoick turning to Phlegma.

"But, sir, we may lose a very important contract," said Phlegma shocked. Stoick was never leaving his job like this. He was a very responsible man, who was doing the best for the company.

Stoick sighed and said.

"Look, Phlegma. Now, the last thing I want to do is signing a contract with an agent from Mulch's Engines. Ask him to come tomorrow. Now excuse me, but if I'll stay any longer, I'll be late to bowling with my son."

Saying that Stoick left, leaving Phlegma standing in the middle of the hall, shocked.

* * *

Hiccup checked the time. It was 19:38. His father was supposed to be at the mall at 19:45. Hiccup continued to wait. The sun was already setting. The sky was colored red, blue and yellow. That was one of the most beautiful dawns that he had seen. Hiccup took his phone from the pocket and began searching for a place where he could buy LCD screen. After a few minutes, he saw a familiar shape of the seven-foot-tall man with the flaming red beard. Stoick smiled seeing his son and gave him a bone-crushing hug.

"I'm happy to see you too… dad, but I'll be… very grateful if… I could breathe," Hiccup barely said. Stoick let Hiccup go and laughed heartily. Hiccup sighed in relief, happy that now he could breathe. This was already the second time this day! His dad patted him on the back. Hiccup struggled a bit but then regained his balance.

"Let's go, son," said Stoick and they entered the mall. They went to the bowling center and approached the desk.

"How can I help you, sir?" asked the worker. The worker was a teenage girl with light brown hair and blue eyes.

"We need a lane for an hour," answered his father with the booming voice.

The girl looked at the computer and the said.

"We'll have a free lane from ten minutes."

Stoick nodded and they went to take the shoes. It was really hard to find a pair of bowling shoes for his father, but finally, the workers found a pair that was fitting for him.

In that time the lane was already free, so they went and began to play. First was Hiccup's turn. He took a green 14-pound ball and went to the lane. He began swinging the ball out and back, in the third turn he released it and the ball began rolling towards pins. When it hit them, all the pins fell, except the one that was standing in the left corner. Hiccup groaned and said.

"Oh, thank you very much dear pin that you decided to stay with us till the end. Way to go, I see you too have stubbornness issues."

Stoick chuckled at his son's talk with the pin. Hiccup took another ball and rolled it. This time the stubborn pin fell and Hiccup smiled at his victory.

"Not bad, Hiccup, not bad," said Stoick. "But now let me show you how Vikings are doing this!"

Hiccup rolled his eyes and went back. His father was very proud that their ancestors were Vikings and chiefs of Berk. He even had a war axe hanging from the wall in his room!

Stoick cracked his knuckles and took a 16-pound ball. It was too light for him but that was the heaviest ball in the bowling. He swang the ball out and back and then rolled it. All the pins fell. Stoick smiled proudly and went back.

"I don't think you can do better," said Stoick challenging.

"Challenge accepted," said Hiccup smirking and took the ball.

They continued to play trying to beat each other.

"So, how's work?" asked Hiccup.

"In one word- tiring," answered Stoick and rolled the ball. "Many meetings, lots of paperwork, and many many visitors."

"The most annoying of visitors was Spitelout. He came to ask me to made his son our main tester," said Stoick. "He was visiting me last two months always asking the same. Snotlout is not a bad pilot, but he might try to do aerobatics on a passenger plane, just to show off!"

Hiccup chuckled. His father was right about his cousin. Snotlout was ready to do anything just to show off.

"Well, I remember that time when he tried to make a small model airplane wanting to show that he can do it better than me. That plane didn't even fly! It just moved a few meters and exploded!" said Hiccup laughing.

Stoick began to laugh heartily. They continued to play. After twenty minutes their time was up and they left the bowling center.

"Hey, Hiccup. What about a pizza?" asked his father.

"Oh, no no no no. I just don't want to see a pizza anymore after that accident!" cried Hiccup. Last time when they were in the mall his father suggested to eat pizza, and he agreed. His dad took two big meat lover pizzas! After six slices Hiccup was already dying, but his father ate 14 slices and he was feeling completely fine!

"Okay, in that case, we'll get burgers," said Stoick and they headed to the food court.

* * *

When they arrived home it was already eleven o'clock. They got out of the car and entered the house. Toothless attacked Hiccup and began licking him.

"Toothless! You know that doesn't wash out!" cried Hiccup. Toothless laughed at him and then jumped at Stoick.

"Oh! I missed you too little troublemaker!" said Stoick trying to calm Toothless when the overjoyed dog was licking him. When Toothless ended licking, Stoick said.

"I think we need to go to sleep Hiccup. Tomorrow we both need to go to work."

Hiccup nodded and went toward the stairs.

"Good night, dad," said Hiccup.

"Good night son," said Stoick.

Hiccup went upstairs and collapsed on his bed.

 **End of the chapter. Wow! This is the longest chapter that I've ever written! I know you all want to see Hiccup working on his aircraft. So I'm happy to inform you that beginning from the next chapter Hiccup will work on his aircraft! Yay! And when he'll finish his aircraft the most interesting part begins! But no spoilers! Also, I wanted to thank Mark(guest) for the idea of the LCD central screen. Please tell me what you think. Have a great day and until next time!**


	7. Chapter 7: The Bad Day, That Turned Into

**The new chapter is here! I'm sorry that I'm updating late, but to make up for it this chapter has 2700+ words! Like, two times longer than my usual chapters! Anyways, I want to thank you all for your reviews/favs/follows. And to reviews:**

 **Guest:** I'm sorry, but Hiccup will not be in the air anytime soon.

 **No Account:** It's good to see you back! Thanks, and when Hiccup will begin taking part in competitions he will perform under nickname 'Night Fury'. And about AI. I actually was thinking about using it, after watching Iron man :'D And I think the aircraft will have AI.

 **CommanderGreya:** As I've already said to No Account. Hiccup's plane will have AI.

 **Chapter 7: The Bad Day, That Turned Into Good**

The alarm began beeping. Hiccup groaned and hid his head under the pillow. He didn't want to go to work today! He wanted to stay at home and sleep! His neighbors had thought that it would be a great idea to throw a party last night! He shut his eyes only at 5am when the party was over!

His alarm was continuing to beep. He just wanted to stay at home and sleep. Was that much to ask for? Maybe even after sleeping, he could go to the workshop and finally began working on his aircraft. But he knew that it will not happen. The good news was that today was Friday and he would have two days to rest and work on his aircraft.

Toothless whined too and covered his ears with his paws. The black dog wanted to sleep too. Hiccup groaned again and got up. He turned off the alarm and stretched. Then he took a quick shower, got dressed and went downstairs. His dad was already gone. That didn't surprise him. He had to go to Berserk and he would be returning on Monday. Hiccup wanted to wish his father safe journey, but how he guessed he didn't hear the sound of the alarm that he had put earlier. He was busy sleeping after an awful night.

Hiccup went to the kitchen and poured a big cup of coffee that he needed desperately. When he approached the cup to his lips, he heard a barking and saw Toothless running from upstairs. Toothless knocked the cup of coffee from his hands and all the coffee spilled on him.

"Toothless!" yelled Hiccup in frustration. The coffee was really hot, so he began jumping from one foot to another trying to get rid of the burning sensation. When it stopped burning, Hiccup snapped his head towards the direction where Toothless had gone and glared at the dog. But Toothless was busy chasing after a squirrel or what was that. Well, this day couldn't get any better.

Hiccup sighed and went upstairs. He changed his clothes and went back to the kitchen. He poured another cup of coffee and made sure that this one wouldn't be spilled on him. Then he had some toasts and drank his coffee.

After filling Toothless' bowl, he put his notebook and drawing pad in the backpack, took his keys and left the house. Hiccup checked the time. It was 8:40. He was gonna be late, again. Hiccup groaned and got into the car.

He arrived at work twenty minutes late. There was an awful traffic in the city. This wasn't his lucky day. Hiccup entered his room and saw Fishlegs typing something on the computer.

"Hey, Fish," greeted Hiccup trying to be cheerful, but that didn't work. He sounded really grumpy. Actually, he _was_ really grumpy.

"Hey, Hiccup. I see you're not in a good mood," said Fishlegs still continuing to work. Of course, Fishlegs noticed that. After all, he was his best friend.

Hiccup took off his mask of cheerfulness and sighed. Of course, he wasn't in a good mood! At first, he hadn't had a proper sleep, then he spilled the coffee- well actually Toothless spilled it, but that's not the matter! And then he was stuck in a traffic for 10 minutes! That wasn't the best start of the day.

"Well, I'm the happiest person in the Midgard, who haven't had proper sleep, spilled his coffee, and was stuck in traffic," Hiccup sassed back.

"Well, I see you still haven't heard the good news," said Fishlegs. That intrigued Hiccup.

"What news?" he asked. He began thinking about what news it could be, but he couldn't think of anything.

"Well, for an example, that from a week will be annually Air Race of Small Model Aircraft," said Fishlegs turning to Hiccup, knowing exactly what reaction his friend would have.

"Really!?" asked Hiccup surprised. He was participating at Air Race of Small Model Aircraft since he was twelve years old. And that was his favorite race!

"Yep, the email was sent today in the morning. There was told everything that we need to know- rules, time, place, things that are forbidden…" said Fishlegs beginning to count on his fingers.

Hiccup quickly sat on his chair, turned on his notebook and opened the email. The first letter was from their company and it was the same letter about which Fishlegs was talking.

He clicked on it and began reading. After a minute, he was done. Well, the rules were the same as every year. You didn't need to be from the company to participate. Everyone could take part, even kids. The race would be on Wednesday, on the runway. So that meant, he had five days to make his aircraft.

"Hey, Fish. What plane are you going to make?" asked Hiccup. He still didn't know what plane he's gonna make, but he was always making unique planes. There was one time that he made a small model seaplane.

"Um, I don't feel like participating this time," said Fishlegs turning to Hiccup. Hiccup couldn't understand why Fishlegs didn't want to participate. This was the favorite event of all company and everyone was participating.

"Why? Oh, come on! It will be fun!" said Hiccup trying to convince Fishlegs.

"Says the guy who wins every time," said Fishlegs in a matter-of-fact tone. Actually, he was right. Hiccup was the one who was always winning or getting high places.

"What!? I'm not winning every time!" said Hiccup crossing his arms and trying to look convincing.

Fishlegs looked at him and raised his eyebrow. Hiccup sighed and said.

"Fine… But in my defense, I want to say that I'm not winning every time. I've been in second place for two times," Hiccup said defeated.

"You know what I mean," said Fishlegs and continued to type on his computer.

"But, come on! It would be fun! Don't you want to build your own small model Antonov An-2? Mmm?" said Hiccup not wanting to give up. He knew that his friend was obsessed with that plane.

Fishlegs sighed and said.

"Uh! Of course, I want! And I hate that about me!"

"Yes!" said Hiccup punching the air.

Fishlegs turned back to Hiccup and said.

"But if I'm gonna participate, then I'll definitely make Antonov An-2. It's not too fast, but it can carry a lot of weight, it's maneuverable and it's really cool looking! Just perfect plane!"

Fishlegs was getting excited. Hiccup rolled his eyes and began working. Well, his day was becoming better.

* * *

It was already time for the break. Hiccup and Fishlegs went to the cafeteria and began waiting in the line. To Hiccup's surprise, the line wasn't long. Usually, they had to stand for fifteen minutes until they were able to buy their lunch. But this time it took them just five minutes.

They went and sat at their usual table. Hiccup watched through the window and smiled, seeing that it's flying Astrid. She filed for some time doing aerobatics and landed. Hiccup's day was definitely getting better.

After the lunch, they returned to their room. Hiccup sat on his chair and opened his notebook. He wasn't working on any projects now, and he didn't have any planes to repair. So he began thinking what modifications he's gonna do on Lycoming O-54-the engine that he decided to use on his aircraft.

After a few hours of work, Hiccup already knew exactly what modifications he would do on the engine. He left the building, get into his car and drove straightly towards Gobber's workshop.

When he entered he couldn't see Gobber. But he heard an awful singing and realized that the mechanic was there.

" _I've got my axe, and I've got my mace. And I love my wife with the ugly face. I'm a Viking through and through,"_ Gobber sang.

Hiccup flinched hearing Gobber hitting wrong notes. He went further into the workshop and saw Gobber working on a green Pitts Special.

"Hey, Gobber," he greeted.

Gobber stopped singing- for which Hiccup was very grateful-and turned to Hiccup.

"Oh, hey, laddie," he said continuing to work. "How's yer day?"

"Well, it wasn't the best day at first, but now it's good," answered Hiccup. Hiccup was actually happy now since the news about Air Race made his day.

"I see you're cheerful, finally asked yer lass?" said Gobber noticing that Hiccup is happier than normal.

Hiccup blushed furiously. He had told Gobber about Astrid and now he was regretting that.

"No!" he exclaimed. "I mean, I would like to, but no."

"Then why are ye so happy?" asked Gobber turning to Hiccup and pointing at the spanner.

"It's just, this Wednesday will be the Air Race of Small Model Aircraft," answered Hiccup handing Gobber the tool.

"Ah, ye love that race. I remember how ye took part in it fer first time," said Gobber laughing at the memory.

"Yeah, I was overjoyed when I won," said Hiccup laughing. He remembered everything like it happened just yesterday.

 _Hiccup was twelve years old. He had been Gobber's assistant for seven years already! And he knew everything about aircraft- how are they working, how to put engines, how to fix flight instruments. He was helping Gobber to repair them. Of course, Gobber was watching him, in case something went wrong, but he was doing all that by himself._

 _One day when they were working on an aircraft that was brought yesterday Hiccup asked._

" _Hey, Gobber. What do you think, when I'll be able to build a plane?"_

 _He really wished that maybe after a year he would be ready to build his own plane._

" _I think ye already can," said Gobber casually._

 _Hiccup's eyes went wide._

" _WHAT!?" asked Hiccup shocked and dropped the tool on his foot. He began jumping on his one foot, holding the other one, hoping that pain will fade soon. When the pain was gone, Hiccup was still shocked. He couldn't believe it. Was he ready? Then he thought that Gobber might be joking because he couldn't be ready. "You are joking right?"_

" _I'm not joking, laddie," said Gobber continuing to work._

 _Hiccup's shocked expression soon was replaced by a huge smile. He couldn't believe it! Gobber said he was ready! Ready to build his own plane!_

" _Yeah, laddie, I think yer ready," said Gobber laughing at Hiccup's enthusiasm. "But I think at first ya might try building a small model one."_

 _Well, the small model wasn't the same as the big. But still, it was working like the big ones. Now he would build a small one, but maybe a year later he would build a normal size aircraft, that pilot can fly._

 _ **After a week**_

 _Hiccup looked proudly at the plane that he made. It was a green small model biplane. He had spent his all week, working hard on it. And now it was ready. It was time to test it._

 _He took it and went outside. It was early morning, 5:30 to be exact. His dad had to leave for a few days to Bog and he was staying with Gobber. Stoick didn't want to leave him alone with Gobber or with 'two-limbed lunatic' like he said. But his son reassured him that he would be okay and he needed to leave._

 _He chuckled remembering how his father said 'I want to see my son with all limbs when I'll return.' to Gobber before he left._

 _Hiccup approached the road, that was empty. Gobber was waiting for him leaning on his truck. When he noticed Hiccup he said._

" _C'mon, laddie. We need to hurry if yer don't want that plane of yer's tae be crashed."_

 _They decided to use the road as a runway. And since they didn't want Hiccup's plane to be crashed they needed to wake up early in the morning and test it._

" _Well, I'm very happy that you're concerned about me too," Hiccup replied with sarcasm. Gobber laughed and patted Hiccup's back._

 _They went to the middle of the road and Hiccup put his plane there._

" _I hope it will work," he said and took the controller._

" _Of course, it will work!" said Gobber. "Now fly it! I want tae go back tae sleep!"_

 _Hiccup rolled his eyes at Gobber's comment and pushed the button on the controller. The plane began driving. After driving a few miles, the plane took off. Hiccup couldn't believe it! His plane had flown!_

" _Ah, good job, laddie!" Gobber exclaimed proudly. Hiccup just smiled._

 _After flying it for some time, Gobber said._

" _Now land it, laddie. I think I'm already hearing the voices of the cars."_

 _Hiccup quickly landed his plane and went to the workshop, when Gobber went back to sleep._

 _ **Next day**_

 _Hiccup was working on his plane. He noticed that when he was flying it, there were few problems with stabilizers and now he was fixing them. Gobber entered the workshop and approached Hiccup._

" _I see still working on yer plane?" asked Gobber standing behind Hiccup._

" _Yeah, they were few problems with stabilizers," said Hiccup continuing to work._

" _I have something for ya," saying that Gobber handed Hiccup a brochure._

 _Hiccup took it and read the text in a big font. 'Air Race of Small Model Airplane'. It was a race of small model airplanes and it would pass tomorrow._

" _You want me to participate?" asked Hiccup a bit unsure. His plane was working good, but he didn't think he was ready to take part in Air Race. Also, he just began flying his plane! And the brochure said that they needed to do aerobatics._

" _Aye, laddie. With yer plane, you'll win them all!" said Gobber encouragingly._

" _I don't think I'll win, but I'll participate," said Hiccup. Hiccup thought, why not? He could just take part and see how good he is._

" _That's my lad," said Gobber and went back to work._

* * *

 _Today was already the day of the race. Hiccup was a bit nervous. There were many people with their planes, and that planes were far better than his._

 _The race started. Hiccup was number 11. He was watching how people were flying their planes and it looked like they all have been doing that for many years. He just began practicing aerobatics yesterday! Actually he wasn't that bad, but still, that guys had a lot of experience._

 _His turn had come. He took his plane hesitating, put it on the runway and took his controller. At first, they needed to avoid cones that were set and then pass the 250 meters as fast as possible._

" _One…two…three…GO!"_

 _Hiccup pushed the button on the controller and his plane began driving. After driving a few meters, it took off. Hiccup began avoiding the cones. From 15 cones he just hit one. Wow! That was good!_

 _Then he speeded up and passed the 250 meters. Actually, that wasn't bad, his performance was good._

 _After an hour, everyone had already performed. It was time to announce winners. Hiccup wasn't thinking that he would win. He would be overjoyed if he could take 6th or 7th place._

" _And the first place takes…" said the announcer. Everyone was eager to know who is the winner. Hiccup wasn't paying attention, because he knew he couldn't win. "Henry Haddock!"_

 _Hiccup was shocked after hearing his name. He was just standing there dumbfounded._

" _Laddie, you've won!" exclaimed Gobber patting Hiccup's back._

" _Henry Haddock? Come to the stage and receive your prize," said the announcer._

 _Gobber noticing that Hiccup is still standing there shocked pushed him to the stage. Everyone was surprised at seeing a 12-year-old boy winning the race. But after a few seconds, they began clapping loudly encouraging the boy._

 _Hiccup finally snapped from his shocked state and went to take his prize. He had a huge grin on his face realizing that he had won!_

* * *

"So, what plane yer gonna build?" asked Gobber putting aside some bolts.

"Um, I still don't know," answered Hiccup. He hadn't thought about that. "But now I'm gonna work on my aircraft."

Saying that Hiccup went to the place where they put airframe last night and looked at it. It was very dirty. So that meant, the first thing he needed to do was, clean it. He took a cloth from the rack and began cleaning the airframe.

 **So that's it! I hope you liked this chapter! I want to thank Plaudertasche(Guest) for suggesting Antonov An-2 as Fishlegs plane, and jako(Guest) who's review gave me the idea of Air Race of Small Model Aircraft. Please tell me what you think and until next time!**


	8. Chapter 8: In The Park

**Hiccstrid-Ahem- I mean, the new chapter is here! Woohoo! This story has 5000+ views, 40 favs, 30 reviews, and 65 followers! Thank you very much for that! I hope you'll like this chapter!**

 **Chapter 8: In The Park**

Gobber entered his workshop. It was somewhere near the nine in the morning and it was already time to open. Today would come the person that brought green Pitts Special two days ago, and the plane needed to be ready till his visit.

The mechanic went to the plane and looked at it. Well, it was almost ready. He just needed to change the wires and then clean the aircraft. He went to the rack to pick spare wires and a cloth when he noticed the auburn-haired person sleeping on the desk. On his cheek was dirt and he was holding a cloth that was dirty from cleaning the airframe.

"Ah, laddie," said Gobber shaking his head and smiling.

He turned his head to the right and saw the airframe. It was clean as new! And Gobber would be lying if he said that the airframe wasn't shining. The two-limbed mechanic smiled proudly. He quietly took what he needed and left, not wanting to wake his apprentice.

* * *

Hiccup was sleeping when he heard a familiar melody. It wasn't the melody that he was hearing every morning, but still, it was very familiar. After a few seconds, he understood that his phone was ringing. He picked the call, not watching who it was.

"Hello?" he said his voice raspy. Who would call him this early in the morning on Saturday?

" _Good morning, Hiccup."_

Hiccup recognized the voice, but he couldn't understand who it was.

"Who is it?" he asked still not recognizing who it was. The voice was so familiar!

" _It's Fishlegs!"_

"Oh. Hey, Fish," Hiccup greeted his friend rubbing his eyes and leaning back on the chair. Well, now he was a bit ashamed that he hadn't recognized the voice of his best friend.

" _I'm taking Meatlug to a morning walk in the park and I thought maybe you and Toothless would want to join."_

"Um, yes. Yes, of course. We'll be there from a half hour," answered Hiccup and stood up. He was always taking Toothless to morning walks on weekdays and sometimes Fishlegs and Meatlug were joining them.

He looked at his surroundings. He was in Gobber's workshop. Hiccup recalled yesterday's events. He had cleaned the airframe, then sat on the chair near the desk to get some rest, and because he had been exhausted he had fallen asleep on the desk.

Hiccup was sure that Toothless would be happy to … wait a minute… TOOTHLESS! If he had been fallen asleep on the desk, that meant Toothless was all by himself yesterday! Alone! All day! Hiccup quickly took his backpack and keys and went to his car.

When he was already leaving the workshop Gobber said.

"Ah, I see ye've woken up. How-"

"I'm sorry, Gobber. I need to go," Hiccup cut off Gobber and got into his car, leaving mechanic confused where he was rushing like that.

He began driving towards his home. He knew that Toothless wouldn't be hungry. He was always filling his bowl with extra food, knowing that maybe he would be at home late. He was worried that black dog, might try to leave the house and search for him. He was never absent for the whole night.

After three minutes, the car was already standing in front of the house. Hiccup quickly got out and went towards the door. When he entered someone jumped on him and he fell on the floor. The air in his lungs was knocked out.

"Ahh…," groaned Hiccup. Then someone began licking him. "Toothless! You know that doesn't wash out!"

Hiccup stood up and looked at the dog, who was wagging his tail happily.

"I know you missed me, bud. And I'm sorry that I didn't come home last night. But don't you think it already gets old?" asked Hiccup trying to clean saliva from his clothes. He was already tired that every time Toothless sees him, he jumps on him and begins licking. After that, he couldn't wash his clothes!

Toothless whined quietly and looked at Hiccup with puppy eyes.

"Oh, come on. Don't look at me like that," said Hiccup turning his head. He couldn't resist Toothless' cuteness.

"If you'll promise me to stop jumping on me every time you see me, I'll tell you good news," said Hiccup trying to convince the dog and still not turning back. He looked at Toothless with the side of his eye and noticed that the dog wasn't looking at him with puppy eyes anymore.

"Called Fishlegs. He said that he was going to park with Meatlug and I thought you'll be happy if we'll join them," Hiccup said turning back. Toothless barked happily and then jumped on him.

"Toothless!" yelled Hiccup annoyed when Toothless began licking him.

* * *

After Toothless' attack Hiccup had changed and now they were already near the park. Toothless kept biting his leash. Hiccup sighed and stopped.

"I know, bud. You don't like lashes. But you know that I have to put it on. Please, stop biting it. Wait few more minutes, and I'll take it off when we'll be at the park," said Hiccup to Toothless, hoping that the dog will stop.

Although Toothless was trained, many people were afraid of big black Labrador. And also Toothless loved to sniff and play with people who seemed interesting to him.

The dog sadly crooned and began walking faster, dragging Hiccup with him. He was eager to get rid of the leash.

After a minute, they were at the park. Hiccup began searching for Fishlegs and Meatlug when Toothless began biting his leash, again.

"Hiccup!" Hiccup turned and saw Fishlegs sitting on the bench with Meatlug, waving at him. He was about to went to them, when Toothless finally cut the leash and began sprinting towards Meatlug.

Hiccup groaned. Great. This was already the third one this month.

"Hey, Fish," Hiccup greeted approaching his friend.

"Hey, Hiccup. Sorry for waking you up this morning," said Fishlegs and moved to the side, giving Hiccup a place to sit. When Fishlegs called Hiccup this morning, his friend voice was raspy, he talked sleepy and he couldn't recognize who he was! So Fishlegs guessed that he woke him up.

"Don't worry," said Hiccup sitting. He looked at Toothless who was playing with Meatlug. Meatlug was a dark brown pug. She was a bit chubby because Fishlegs was always giving her extra meat. She loved to play, but she also loved to sleep. And always after playing with Toothless for some time, she was getting very tired. She was curling near her owner's legs and taking a nap. After that Hiccup had to play with Toothless because the dog wanted to play more.

"So how is the progress making your Antonov An-2?" asked Hiccup. He still didn't know what plane _he_ 's gonna make and that was a problem.

"Well, I've bought all materials yesterday and I think I'll begin working today," said Fishlegs. He knew that Fishlegs needs to start working soon because his friend was always paying very much attention to details, especially when it was about his most favorite plane.

"Have you decided what plane you want to make?" asked Fishlegs. Hiccup sighed.

"No, not yet," he said. That was really weird. He always knew what plane he wanted to make and he was starting his work immediately. So his small model plane was always ready on the third day after the announcement.

"I that case, you need to hurry," said Fishlegs.

After some more talking, it was time for Fishlegs and Meatlug to leave. They bid goodbye to each other and Fishlegs left with his dog.

Hiccup stayed on the bench watching how Toothless was chasing a squirrel. The squirrel climbed on the tree and Toothless began jumping trying to reach her. Hiccup chuckled watching how Toothless was trying to reach the squirrel. After some jumping, Toothless gave up, understanding that he never can jump that high. He came and sat near Hiccup's legs.

Hiccup's gaze was still fixed on the tree. Or more correctly on a little black bird who was singing happily. The little bird flew away and at that moment it dawned on Hiccup. He knew what plane he's gonna make! He just needed to buy the materials and began working!

He stood up and wanted leave when Toothless began sprinting the other way.

"Toothless!" Hiccup yelled and began running after his dog. He stopped when he noticed Toothless playing with a golden retriever whom was holding a blonde. He approached the girl who was standing with her back turned to him.

"I'm really sorry Miss. I wanted to-" Hiccup stopped when the blonde turned. "Astrid!?"

"Henry!?" Astrid exclaimed seeing Hiccup. Astrid never thought that she would meet Henry at a dog park.

"Hi?" Hiccup awkwardly greeted and it sounded more like a question.

"Is that your dog?" asked Astrid gesturing to Toothless who was playing with the golden retriever.

"Yeah, I'm sorry he just ran off. I wanted to hold him, but he spirited away and left me running after him," said Hiccup rubbing the back of his neck. Seriously, Toothless!? You just had to run away to play with the dog of Astrid Hofferson! Couldn't you just choose someone else!? Ah, the Gods hate me! Although, he was glad to meet Astrid.

"No need to worry! He's so cute!" said Astrid kneeling in front of Toothless and petting him. Toothless stuck his tongue out and began wagging his tail.

"Astrid, this is Toothless. And Toothless, this is Astrid," Hiccup introduced them to each other. Toothless barked happily. Astrid petted the dog one more time and stood up.

"Hmm, why Toothless?" asked Astrid confused. She was sure that this dog had teeth.

"Show her, bud." Hiccup said smirking. He wanted to know what Astrid's reaction would be.

Toothless did his famous gummy smile and Astrid noticed that he has no teeth. She kneeled in front of the dog.

"I would have sworn that you have-" Astrid stopped when she heard a click and there appeared teeth in Toothless' gums. She yelped and jumped away. "teeth…"

Hiccup began laughing hard. Astrid scowled and then exclaimed.

"Hey! Don't laugh at me!" Then she punched Hiccup's arm.

"Ow," Hiccup said rubbing his aching arm. How she could punch so hard with her little hand!

"How-how's that possible?" Astrid asked still a bit shook.

"He has retractable teeth," Hiccup explained. "He's the only dog that I know with that ability. And that makes him special, I think?"

"Wow. That's cool," said Astrid.

Then she turned to her dog and said.

"This is Stormfly. She was with me since I was fifteen. Stormfly this is Henry. And this is Toothless, who, I think, you already know." Then she took of Stormfly's leash. "Go, girl. Play with him."

Stormfly barked happily and ran away chasing Toothless.

"So Henry-," Astrid said, but Hiccup cut her off.

"Call me Hiccup," he said. "All my friends call me like that."

"We are friends?" asked Astrid smirking and putting her hands on her hips.

Hiccup eyes shot wide. They meet for a few times and had good conversations. And h-he thought th-they were friends. Oh, this is so embarrassing! He began stuttering.

"Uh, I-I mean, I t-though, um, w-we were…" he stopped when he heard Astrid laugh.

"I was kidding! Of course, we're friends!" she said. Hiccup began laughing nervously with her.

"So Hen-Hiccup," Astrid corrected herself. "How's work?"

They went to the bench and sat on it.

"Well, I have no current projects. But I think soon they'll give me another plane to repair," said Hiccup.

"Cool," she said and looked at their dogs who were playing.

"How are you doing?" asked Hiccup killing the silence.

"Soon will be the Berk Air Race. And I'm training hard because I want to win!" she said determinedly.

Hiccup smiled at her determination. Astrid looked back at the playing dogs. She raised her brow in confusion.

"What is he doing?" she asked looking confused at Toothless.

Hiccup turned and saw that Toothless had grabbed a stick and now was drawing lines around Stormfly.

"Ah, that's his favorite game," said Hiccup chuckling. Astrid still didn't understand what he was talking about, so Hiccup said. "Look."

Stormfly tried to walk away from the drawing but when she stepped on one of the lines Toothless growled. She backed away and looked at Toothless confused. She tried again and Toothless growled. She looked at the lines and then carefully began walking trying to not step on the them. When she was outside, Toothless barked happily and they continued to play.

"Wow," was the only thing that Astrid said. She had never seen something like that.

"I was confused when he did that for the first time," said Hiccup. "But now, we actually play it often."

"He's truly amazing," said Astrid looking at Toothless.

"I know," Hiccup said and continued to look at his dog, who was chasing after Stormfly.

After a few minutes of silence, Astrid asked.

"How did you get him?"

"Well, when I was fourteen Dad began not being at home more frequently. And on Christmas he gave me Toothless, to keep me company when I was alone at home. We went along very well. He was very clever for a puppy and he always understood what I was saying. So we grow up together, as best friends. He is always cheering me up when I'm sad or upset. He always helps me with my problems. He even helps me in choosing what to wear!" Hiccup said chuckling at the last part.

Astrid chuckled too and then said.

"When I was fifteen my parents died in a car crash. I've locked myself up in my room and never got out. My uncle was very worried about me and he bought a puppy for me. When he gave her to me he said that this puppy lost her parents when she was very little and he hoped that I can take care of her. Knowing how it feels to lose parents I couldn't leave her alone. So I took care of her and that helped me. She became my best friend. She's always listening to me and helping me with my problems. And I don't know what it would be with me now if not her."

"I'm sorry for your parents," said Hiccup. He never could understand what she felt. But she never had seen his mother and that was really hard for him.

"S'okay," said Astrid.

"I think we need to meet more. How I see these two really enjoy each other's company," said Hiccup changing the topic.

"Are you calling me on a date?" asked Astrid smirking. Hiccup blushed furiously.

"No! I-I mean, I-it's a, um, kind of playdate, f-for them. I thought, um since th-they enjoyed, um, each other's company they…," Hiccup began stuttering.

"Okay, okay, I understand," Astrid said chuckling. Actually, she found it cute when he was stuttering. And she was a bit disappointed because she would like to go on a date with him.

"Um, but If you want to," began Hiccup rubbing back of his neck. "W-we can have a cup of coffee after that."

"I would be pleased," said Astrid smiling.

"Okay! In that case, if it's okay with you, we can meet next Saturday at this park at 10:30," Hiccup said. He was barely holding his excitement.

"I'm free at that time," Astrid said and Hiccup smiled.

After that, they talked some more and it was time for both of them to leave. They bid goodbye to each other and went towards different directions. When Astrid was out of sight Hiccup collapsed on the nearby bench. He couldn't believe it! He called Astrid Hofferson on a date! And she agreed! This was the best day of his life!

He tied the torn leash tightly on Toothless' collar and they began walking towards the market where Hiccup could buy materials for his small model airplane and finally begin working.

 **So that's it. I hope you liked this chapter. What do you think, what small model plane Hiccup will make? I think people who know about aircraft would guess. Anyways, please tell me what you think and until next time!**


	9. Chapter 9: The Air Race of Small Model

**Hey, guys! I'm really sorry for not updating on time, but I have a really busy schedule. And as you have noticed the chapters became longer and it takes more time to edit them. Anyways, I'll try to update on time. And now to reviews.**

 **Hiccstrid105:** I'm really glad that you're liking this story :)

 **Grima:** Well, to be honest, I can't say for sure. But from 3-4 chapters, the airplane will be ready and Hiccup will begin his training.

 **Chapter 9: The Air Race of Small Model Aircraft**

Hiccup's eyes snapped open and he sat on his bed. He was too excited to sleep! He took his phone from the nightstand and checked the time. It was 6:50. Hiccup turned off the alarm that should ring at 8:00 and stood up.

He looked at his desk. There it was, his small model airplane. He was very proud that he made it! Today was the race and he spent the last four days working hard on it. And now it was ready, placed on his desk! Hiccup looked at his plane on more time and went to the bathroom.

After the shower, Hiccup dried his hair and went to the wardrobe. He took his black jeans and red shirt and wore them. He looked at himself in the mirror. Well, red really suits him. He tousled his auburn hair and approached the desk. Hiccup carefully picked the plane up and went downstairs.

When he was on the first floor he noticed his father having breakfast.

"Good morning, dad," Hiccup greeted him approaching the kitchen table, holding his plane carefully.

"Good morning, son," greeted Stoick noticing him. "I see you've woken up early."

"Yeah, I was excited and couldn't sleep," said Hiccup putting the plane on the table.

Stoick looked at the plane and smiled proudly. His son's work was amazing! Not everyone could make a plane like that! Every time Hiccup was making unique planes. But this time he definitely overdid himself!

"With that plane, you'll beat them all!" said Stoick encouraging Hiccup. Although, Hiccup had taken part in that race for Thor knows how many times, he knew that his son was still nervous. He would never change.

"Thanks, dad," said Hiccup smiling. He went to the toaster and put some bread in it. Stoick looked at his watch and then said.

"Okay, son. I have to go. Good luck! Show them what Haddocks can do!

"Well, they will certainly not be able to resist all this raw Vikingness!" said Hiccup gesturing to himself. Stoick laughed heartily and went to the door.

"See you later, dad," said Hiccup when his father was about to leave.

"See you later, son," said Stoick and left.

Hiccup really wanted that his father was able to come to the race. But at the same time, he knew that he was a very busy person and he hadn't had time for something unimportant, like race. But still, he was hoping.

The toaster binged, saying that the toasts were ready. Hiccup took them, poured a cup of coffee for him and began having breakfast.

* * *

Hiccup's car was already standing in the company's parking. On the seat next to him was a box, in which was the small model airplane.

After having breakfast, Hiccup had begun rummaging in the house, searching for something where he could move the plane safely. After turning his all house upside down, he had found the box. And of course, because of all that noise, Toothless had woken up. To Hiccup's surprise, the dog was keeping his promise. He wasn't jumping on him and licking him every time he saw him. That was really weird, but he wasn't complaining.

Hiccup carefully took the box and got out of the car. He entered the building. Only a few people were there. Maybe that was because it was somewhere near 8:20 and the work was starting at nine. He entered his office. Well, obviously, Fishlegs wasn't there.

He carefully put the box on his table and sat on the chair. He took the laptop from his backpack and opened it. He began rummaging through his files, trying to kill some time. When they're gonna give him a new project? If it would continue like this, he'll die from boredom!

Meanwhile, Fishlegs was driving towards the company. He would be there from fifteen minutes. On the seat next to him was a box where was his own small model Antonov An-2! He put there many bubble wraps, to keep it safe. He was so proud of his work. Since it was his favorite plane, he had paid very much attention to details.

When he entered his office he noticed Hiccup laying his head on the table and playing with his pen. He was surprised seeing him here, he always was coming somewhere at five to nine, and now was half past eight.

When Hiccup noticed Fishlegs, he stopped playing with his pen and raised his head, smiling.

"Hey, Fish!" he greeted. Hiccup noticed Fishlegs holding a box, where he assumed was the small model Antonov An-2.

"Hey, Hiccup," Fishlegs greeted back, putting the box on the table.

"So, can you show me the plane?" asked Hiccup standing up and approaching Fishlegs' table. He was eager to see his friend's work.

"Of course!" answered Fishlegs. He opened the box and took off the plane. It was a very detailed model of Antonov An-2. Fishlegs surely did a great job!

"Wow…," said Hiccup continuing to inspect the plane. "Fish, you did a great job!"

"Thank you," said Fishlegs. He was really happy that someone appreciated his hard work.

"So, Mr. Champion," said Fishlegs. Hiccup glared at him. He had won for just a few times! And now they'll not leave him alone! "What plane did you make?"

"Well…," Hiccup said and went to the box. He opened the box and took off his plane.

Fishlegs mouth hung open. He couldn't find the words.

"Um… Fishlegs?" Hiccup asked seeing that Fishlegs was frozen. His friend didn't respond.

"Earth to Fishlegs," said Hiccup waving his hand in front of Fishlegs face.

"Um, I'm sorry…," said Fishlegs snapping form his chocked state. "And…WHAT!?"

Hiccup began laughing at his friend's reaction.

"Hiccup, is this what I think it is?" asked Fishlegs. He couldn't believe his eyes.

"Um, if you think this is the small model of Lockheed SR-71 or how people call it, 'Blackbird', then you're right," said Hiccup casually.

"THE BLACKBIRD IS LITERALLY THE FASTEST PLANE IN THE WORLD!" yelled Fishlegs. Hiccup winced. His ears began hurting badly.

"You know, I'm not deaf. And you don't need to yell," said Hiccup. His ears were ringing!

"How-how much is its speed," asked Fishlegs. And here it comes. Stages of Fishlegs' reaction. First stage-shock, second stage-curiosity.

"Well, since this is fifteen times smaller than the original," said Hiccup. "Its speed is fifteen times slower than the original. So it's speed is 236km/h."

"WHAT!?" yelled Fishlegs. Hiccup groaned. Yelling, again. After this conversation, he would get deaf!

"Can you stop yelling!?" exclaimed Hiccup annoyed.

"H-How can I stop yelling, when you say that this small model plane's speed is 236km/h!? IT'S FASTER THAN SOME LIGHT-SPORT AIRCRAFT!" yelled Fishlegs. He still couldn't believe it! Of course, he never doubted his friend's abilities. But he never expected Hiccup to make a small model Blackbird, whose speed is 236km/h!

"How did you make it so fast?" asked Fishlegs. He needed to know that! He didn't know someone who was able to make a small model plane which is faster than many LSAs. Well, till now.

"Maybe if you'll stop yelling, I can explain!" exclaimed Hiccup. People were already staring at them.

"Okay…" said Fishlegs defeated. He couldn't hold his excitement! So he began jumping in his place.

Hiccup was angry at Fishlegs for almost deafening him. But he couldn't hold his laugh seeing a grown-up man jumping in his place like a little child who was eager to get his Christmas gift.

"Stop laughing at me! And tell me how you did that!" exclaimed Fishlegs a bit embarrassed and angry.

"Okay, okay," said Hiccup stopping laughing. "I've bought most powerful axial flow engines that were appropriate with the size of the plane and modified them. Now they are twice powerful that they were when I bought them," explained Hiccup. It wasn't an easy thing to do, but he had worked with engines and was able to modify them.

"Wow…," Fishlegs said amazed. He knew that his friend was good. But he never knew that he was _that_ good. "That's cool."

"Um, thanks," Hiccup said rubbing back of his neck.

"Well, of course, it's very cool that you made the small model of the fastest plane in the world and I really want to know every detail about how you made it. But I need to check if everything is okay with my Antonov An-2," said Fishlegs going back to his table. He knew that now Hiccup wiped all his chances to win, but that didn't mean he will not perform. He would perform, and show everyone how great plan Antonov An-2 is!

"Go on, I'm not stopping you," said Hiccup and sat back in his chair.

* * *

From twenty minutes, the race was gonna start. Hiccup looked one more time at the bleachers. He still hoped that his father would come. Gobber promised that he would come. He had been on his all races and Hiccup was very grateful for that.

The plane was safely placed away from everyone. One time when he had been taking part in this race, his plane was sabotaged. But he was able to fix it in time and perform. And there was a time when someone accidentally dropped it. He was always making the planes strong and to his relief, it was okay. The plane got away just with a few scratches.

Hiccup looked around. Everyone was doing the last checks on their planes and some people were flying them. He did his last checks a half hour ago, so he was just watching others.

"Hiccup!"

Hiccup turned around and saw a blonde running towards him.

"Hey, Astrid," Hiccup greeted when Astrid stood in front of him, panting. She had finally found the place where the race would be! When Astrid heard about it today in the morning, she knew that Hiccup would be there. So she decided to come and watch.

"Hey. I hoped to find you here," she said finally catching her breath.

"What? Came to cheer for me, Milady," asked Hiccup teasing her. Astrid blushed at the nickname he gave her. But to her relief, her cheeks were still red from all that running and the blush wasn't noticeable.

"Actually, yes," she answered smiling. Hiccup was surprised by her answer. No one ever came to cheer for him, except Gobber. His father was always busy, and his cousin and uncle never cared. He was really glad that Astrid decided to come and cheer for him.

"What?" Astrid asked seeing his expression.

"It's just, no one ever came to cheer for me, except my godfather. My father was always busy and couldn't find time to come. And my other relatives don't care. So I was surprised," Hiccup explained. Astrid smiled.

"Well, I-," she was cut off by a very annoying voice that she knew too well.

"Hey, babe," said Snotlout throwing his arm around her shoulders.

"Ugh, not him," groaned Hiccup covering his face. He was having a good time with Astrid and of course, it had to be interrupted! And not by some random person, but by Snotlout, by his former bully, by his _cousin_.

Astrid's smile turned into a frown. She took Snotlout's hand and twisted it, dropping him on the ground. Why just he can't stop flirting with her!? Can't he understand that she would never want to be with him!?

"Don't call me like that!" she snapped at him, clearly annoyed.

Snotlout stood up and dusted himself. Then noticed Hiccup.

"Hey, Useless. What are you doing here?" he asked with the annoying smirk on his face.

"Um, I don't know. Participating in the race, maybe?" Hiccup sassed back. Well, of course, his mutton-head cousin would never know that he had participated in this race for eleven times! And for Thor's sake, had won! So it was an expectable question from him.

"Wait, you two know each other," asked Astrid. She didn't think that two strangers who just met would begin talking like that. But what they were? Relatives? Definitely, no. Friends? Hiccup would never be a friend of such a mutton-head. Hmm? Oh! Maybe they had been from the same school! Yeah, that's the most reasonable answer.

"Unfortunately, yes," answered Hiccup sighing. "Astrid this is my stupid cousin-Snotlout."

"Cousin!?" Astrid exclaimed. Well, she surely didn't expect THAT! How could someone caring, smart, sassy, funny like Hiccup, be related to someone stupid, irresponsible, arrogant, selfish like Snotlout!

"Hey! I'm not stupid!" Snotlout yelled. Astrid just rolled her eyes.

Hiccup raised his brow as if saying 'are you serious?'. Snotlout looked around searching for something to prove his statement. His eyes caught a small model airplane that was placed on the table and he smirked.

"Well, If I was stupid then how could I make one of those," he said pointing to the plane.

"Oh, really?" said Hiccup crossing his arms. He knew where this was going and he was barely holding his laugh.

"Don't you remember, Useless? Or you have problems with memory? I've made one of those and you were there," he said smirking. 'Hah, now try to answer to this one,' Snotlout thought.

"Oh, you're about that one, which drove a few meters and then exploded," Hiccup said. Astrid closed her mouth, holding her laugh. Snotlout's face was priceless. He huffed and then left, stomping.

When he was away Astrid exploded. She began laughing loudly. Hiccup surely put him on the place!

"Is that true?" she asked, still not able to control her laugh.

"Yeah," Hiccup answered and began laughing too. After a minute, Astrid was finally able to stop laughing.

"Wow. I could never have thought that you are cousins. You're nothing alike!" she exclaimed still not believing it.

"That's my curse," he said. Astrid chuckled.

"Well, will you show me your plane?" she asked. She knew that Hiccup was a good engineer. Astrid had guessed that after seeing the Aviasud Mistral that he repaired. And now she wanted to know what plane did he make this time.

"This way, Milady," he said gesturing to his left. Astrid smiled and went after him. Hiccup took her to the place where he left the plane and approached the box. He opened it and took off the plane.

Seeing the plane Astrid gasped in shock. She wasn't expecting this.

"Why everyone's reaction is something like this?" asked Hiccup not surprised by her reaction. The only person that wasn't shocked was Gobber. He just smiled proudly, patted his back and said 'Good job, laddie'. Was everyone thinking that he couldn't make a plane like that?

"Well, maybe because THIS IS THE FRICKIN' SMALL MODEL OF THE FASTEST PLANE IN THE WORLD!" Astrid yelled shocked.

"And yelling, again," Hiccup said groaning. Astrid punched his arm.

"Hey!" Hiccup exclaimed rubbing his aching arm. Why she did that!?

"How much is its speed?" she asked. Well, the fastest small model airplane that she knows has 80km/h speed. So Hiccup's plane's speed might be somewhere near it.

"Well, it's speed is 236km/h," answered Hiccup. He already knew what her reaction would be.

"WHAT!?" Astrid yelled. It's literally faster than many LSAs! How he made it!?

"I modified the engines so they are twice powerful when I bought them," he explained before Astrid could ask.

"It's amazing," Astrid said. She was in awe. She never thought that Hiccup could make a small model airplane, whose speed is 236km/h!

"There are many people who surely made better planes, and they-" Hiccup was cut off by Astrid punching his arm.

"Will you stop doing that!?" Hiccup exclaimed. If she would continue punching his arm, he might get a bruise!

"Stop, discrediting yourself!" Astrid exclaimed. Why he couldn't just accept the compliment?

"Please all attendants of the Air Race of Small Model Aircraft come to the runway," said the announcer.

"Come," Astrid said. "You will not want to be late for your performance. Also, your plane is amazing! And you're gonna win!"

At first, Hiccup wanted to say that his plane wasn't amazing. But then he remembered the last time he 'discredited' himself. He certainly didn't want to get another punch!

"Thanks," he just said and they went to the runway.

* * *

Hiccup glanced at the bleachers. His father wasn't there. It was already his turn to perform and he was standing on the runway, holding his plane. When everyone noticed the plane they gasped in shock and then began murmuring things like 'Is that small model Blackbird?', 'That's amazing!', 'It can't be fast, it's just the look.'. Hiccup simply didn't pay attention to them.

He turned to the bleachers one more time. He noticed Gobber sitting on the third row and doing something with his hook. Then his gaze fell on Astrid. She noticed him looking at her and gave him thumbs up, encouraging him. And then he glanced at the place where his father should be sitting. It was empty.

Hiccup sighed. Well, he never expected him to come, but he was hoping. He put his plane on the runway and took the controller. He was already going to nod saying that he's ready when he caught a glimpse of red beard in the corner of his eye. He turned and noticed his father trying to move through people, wanting to sit next to Gobber. He smiled. His father noticed him, smiled too, nodding his head.

Hiccup turned to the referee.

"I'm ready," he said. The referee began the countdown. Hiccup took a deep breath. When he heard the referee say 'one', he pushed the button and the plane began driving. The time seemed to freeze. He avoided all the cones and then the plane sprinted, crossing the finish line.

Everyone's mouth was hanging open. They were shocked. Even Gobber couldn't believe what he had just seen. He thought he knew what his apprentice was able to do. But this time he just couldn't find the words.

The referee looked at his timer and then murmured.

"Unbelievable…"

Hiccup looked at him with a confused look. He didn't understand what happened. Everyone was just staring at him and saying nothing.

Finally, the referee spoke.

"34.52 seconds. That's a new record, my boy! No one ever made a small model plane which was able to pass this road in 34.52 seconds!"

Hiccup's confused expression turned into a huge smile. He couldn't believe it! He had beaten the record! The RECORD! Astrid stood up and began running towards him. And then she gave him a big hug. At first, Hiccup was shocked. Astrid Hofferson was hugging him! Finally, he snapped out from his stupor and awkwardly hugged her back.

"Hiccup you did it!" she exclaimed breaking the hug. "You bet the record! You won!"

"I think I've already figured that out," Hiccup sassed. He was still in shock and the sarcasm was the only answer that he could find. Astrid just gave him a not-amused expression and was about to punch him when Hiccup felt huge arms wrap around him and he already knew who it was.

"Dad…Can't…Breath…" he managed to say. Stoick released him and patted his son's back.

"Congratulations, son. You deserve it," he said smiling proudly.

"Thanks, dad," Hiccup answered. He was really glad that his father was able to come.

"Ah, laddie! Ye overdid yerself! Good job!" Gobber said patting Hiccup's back.

"Thanks, Gobber," said Hiccup. He was very grateful that all these people found a time and came to cheer for him.

Since he was the last one to perform. All three pushed him to the stage to receive the cube.

"The winner of the race is Henry Haddock!" said the man handing him the cube. "He didn't only win the race, but also beat the record!"

The crowd erupted with cheers. Hiccup smiled gratefully.

"Thank you," he said accepting the cube.

"Also, this year we have another prize," said the man. Hearing that, the crowd silenced. They were intrigued. "This cube is for Fisher Ingerman, who had made the most detailed small model aircraft!"

Fishlegs was shocked. His colleagues, noticing that he wasn't moving, pushed him to the stage in order to receive the cube. The man handed Fishlegs the cube and he took it without saying a thing.

"Fishlegs congratulations!" Hiccup exclaimed patting his friend back. Fishlegs was still in shock, not saying anything. Hiccup waved his hand in front of his face and finally, Fishlegs woke up.

"Whaa…" was all that he said.

"You won a cube Fishlegs! For the most detailed small model aircraft!" Hiccup said excitedly. Fishlegs thought that he heard it wrong. He couldn't have won a cube.

"I did?" Fishlegs asked still not believing.

"Of course!" Hiccup exclaimed.

Fishlegs began smiling. He had won! This was his first cube! And he had won it for making the most detailed model of his favorite airplane! He couldn't believe it!

"I did it! Yes! Fishleeegs!" he exclaimed.

Hiccup laughed at his friend's reaction. Then he looked at the crowd noticing, Gobber, Astrid, and his father clapping loudly. Hiccup smiled. This surely was a good day.

 **So that's it. I hope you liked this chapter. I want to say that this week I will be at mountains for 3 days and I don't think I'll be able to write there. So the next chapter might be a little late. But I'll try to update on time. Please tell me what you think and until next time!**

 **P.S. If you still don't know. I'm posting a new chapter every 7 days (or at least trying to post).**


	10. Chapter 10: Working on The Plane

**Hey, guys. Long time no see. As I've said this chapter was a** _ **little**_ **late *chuckles nervously*. Okay, I'm sorry for not updating for this long, but I've had a little writer's block. Anyways, I hope you'll like this chapter :) And without any further ado, on with the chapter!**

 **To Eris:** I'm glad that you liked the last chapter. Hiccup's plane will not be faster than the sound cuz it's not safe for aerobatics. But Hiccup will have his own outfit for flying ;)

 **Chapter 10: Working on The Plane**

Hiccup tried to move the rudder on more time, but still, it wasn't moving. He watched it closely and noticed a little pebble, stuck between two pieces, and not allowing the rudder to move.

Hiccup had already checked the ailerons and flaps and they were working. The airframe, surprisingly, wasn't in a bad condition, considering that it had been in that dump for no less than three months.

He went to the rack and picked the instrument that he needed. After approaching the tail of the plane, he carefully removed the pebble. Hiccup tried moving the rudder one more time and it moved, just with a squeak. That meant it needed to be oiled.

Since all stabilizers were working, it was time to install the pedals and the stick. He picked up the pedals that he brought recently and began installing them. After a half hour, the pedals were installed. Hiccup whipped the sweat from his forehead and stood up, stretching his back. He was in leaned position for too much time.

He pressed the left pedal and the rudder turned to the left. Then he pressed the right pedal and the rudder turned to the right. Well, the pedals were working. Now the time was for the stick.

At first, Hiccup couldn't decide what he wanted to use stick or yoke. But since his plane was going to be a sport plane he decided to use a stick. Many pilots were saying that it was more comfortable for aerobatics.

He went to the rack, picked the stick and began installing it.

* * *

"By contract, now you need to pay two-thirds of the money, sir. That will be 20,200 dollars. You need to pay the rest after the engine will be delivered," said the girl. Hiccup handed her his credit card. Now he was in Mulch's Engines. They were the best engine sellers in Berk. And since they had a contract with his father's company, and he was working there, they made him a discount.

When all the payment was over, Hiccup took the papers and left. They had said that the engine would be delivered during the day. He gave them the Gobber's workshop address, and now he was heading there.

When he entered the workshop, Gobber was working on some plane, as always. His workshop was pretty famous. Many people were bringing their planes here, in order to repair them, or change something. And sometimes people who didn't know Gobber well were asking him to draw something on their planes. Well, in short, that not always ended well. Gobber loved his job and he was doing it with a big pleasure.

"Hey, laddie. How's yer mornin' been?" asked Gobber standing up and heading towards Hiccup.

"Hey, Gobber. I'm coming from Mulch's Engines. I've bought a Lycoming O-540. And I gave them the address of your workshop. I hope you don't mind," said Hiccup. It was very hard for him to choose between Lycoming O-540 and Continental IO-550. They were both six-cylinder, air-cooled, horizontally opposed aircraft engines. But since Lycoming O-540 was developed for high-performance competition aerobatics, Hiccup decided to buy it.

"Of course, I don't mind!" said Gobber. He knew that Hiccup would never change. He would always ask him, even if he said that he can do whatever he wanted. "As I've said, the workshop is mine as it yer's."

"Again, thanks for letting me work in your workshop," said Hiccup gratefully. As Gobber said earlier he would never change. Hiccup was really glad to have Gobber. He was like a second father to him. Gobber smiled and nodded.

"Did ye have a breakfast?" asked Gobber patting the boy's back. Hiccup was so eager to go to shop, that he even didn't care about having a breakfast.

"Um…no?" answered Hiccup a bit hesitant. He thought he knew where this was going.

"Ah! That's great! Come, I've made a yak stew!" exclaimed Gobber happily. 'Oh no,' Hiccup thought. Gobber was not _the best cook_. There was a time when he was eating Gobber's yak stew and he bit something metallic. He even thought that it broke his tooth! When Hiccup took the object off his mouth, he noticed that it was a bolt! He even didn't want to ask how it appeared in the soup.

"I hope, I'll be able to receive the engine after I'll eat your soup," Hiccup deadpanned. Gobber frowned.

"Oh! C'mon, laddie it's not that bad!" he exclaimed a bit hurt. His old aunt Gunhild loved his soup. Well, she couldn't say that she _loved_ it since she was mute. But Gobber always saw tears in her eyes when he was feeding her the soup. That were tears of happiness.

"Believe me, it is…," Hiccup muttered under his breath. To his relief, Gobber hadn't heard it. The old mechanic took the boy to his house and began serving his stew. Hiccup hoped that he would not get poisoned.

* * *

"…and also you need to sign here," said the worker. Hiccup signed where he was told and handed the pen back to the man. "Thank you. Now, do you have an engine hoist?"

Hiccup nodded. Like all people who worked on aircraft, Gobber had an engine hoist. He went further into the workshop and returned rolling a red hoist. The worker helped him to carefully strap the engine, and they rolled the hoist to the table.

After thanking the worker, Hiccup went to the back of the workshop. He had his own little room in there. In the room was placed his desk, some of his belongings and instruments. On the wall were hanging many sketches of planes and dragons.

Hiccup took the sketches of the engine that he had done and went back to the workshop. He carefully placed the engine on the table and rolled the hoist away. He wouldn't need it for some time.

Hiccup looked at sketches and then at the engine. He had a lot of things to do and it would take some time.

* * *

It passed 5 days since Hiccup began working on his plane. He was returning home very late at night or wasn't returning at all. Gobber even put a pillow and some blankets in the workshop! He had asked the neighbors to look after Toothless, and Gobber was, sometimes, visiting him too. Toothless surely would be grumpy after all of this.

Hiccup looked at the plane. The airframe was clean and all stabilizers were working. The pedals and the stick were installed. He had already installed the engine and put the propeller. Hiccup also had changed the wires on the wheels. It only stayed to install the LED screen and the seats.

But before installing the LED screen he needed to program it, and that wasn't an easy thing to do. A year ago, when he was in university, he decided to study programming and it came handy. Besides, he decided to give his plane an AI, something that no light-sport aircraft had.

That meant he needed to work hard because it was a big challenge for him. Hiccup decided to take a day off tomorrow and rest since he would have a hard week.

It was somewhere near eight o'clock in the evening. Gobber had already gone home. Hiccup closed the workshop and got into his car. When he opened the door of his house, the first thing he saw was his black dog's pouting face. Toothless was clearly offended. He hadn't seen his owner for a week!

"Oh, stop pouting you big baby boo!" said Hiccup noticing Toothless' expression. Toothless just turned his head away, still angry at him. He was waiting for his apology.

"Okay, okay. I'm sorry," Hiccup apologized. Toothless' angry pout changed into a mischievous smirk. He jumped on Hiccup knocking the auburn-haired man to the ground and began licking him.

"Ah! Too..th..less! St..oop!" Hiccup cried between his laughter. Toothless still continued licking him. "I'm sorry! I'm sorry! Just stop!"

Satisfied, Toothless stopped licking his friend. Hiccup stood up and tried to clean the saliva. He guessed he would never wear this clothes again.

"Well, since tomorrow I took a day off from working on the plane I wanted to took you on a walk," Hiccup said. Toothless' face lit up and he began wagging his tail happily.

"But," added Hiccup raising his finger. "Because of the little stunt you've pulled, you're going to stay at home."

Hiccup crossed his arms and tried to be intimidating. Toothless understanding that he would not go on his walk, which he missed so much, began looking at Hiccup with puppy eyes.

"Oh, no, no, no," Hiccup said. "I'm not going to fall for this again!"

Toothless continued looking at him. Hiccup began falling for the look. 'No!' he thought. 'I'll resist!'. The black dog seeing that the look wasn't working added a sad whine.

"Ugh! Okay! We'll go on a walk tomorrow!" Hiccup exclaimed defeated. Toothless barked happily and began wagging his tail, excited. Hiccup rolled his eyes and went upstairs, muttering something that sounded like 'Useless dog'.

* * *

Finally! The program for flight instruments was done! I took him 3 days of hard work and now it was done. It was half past six in the morning. The sun had already risen and he was sitting on his bed, staring at the computer.

He had barely got any sleep these three days. There were bags under his eyes and he was looking pale. He seriously needed to get some sleep. Hiccup closed his notebook and put it on the nightstand.

He knew that there were many bugs in his program, but now he didn't care. Tomorrow he would fix them. Now, he just needed to get some rest.

Sometimes he really hated his super concentration. If he was concentrating on some project, there was no getting rest till it was done. He remembered the days when his dad took his sketches and notebook away and dragged him outside since he had been in his room for a week.

Hiccup laid on his bed and crashed out.

* * *

"What do you think, Hiccup? Which one is better for aerobatics? Biplane or monoplane?" It was already ten minutes since Fishlegs was geeking about planes, not aware that his auburn-haired friend wasn't listening.

Hiccup was asleep on his desk since he got only a half hour of sleep last night. And his morning wasn't good either. Hiccup had woken up hearing the sound of his alarm. He had groaned and rolled aside, trying to get some more sleep. But to his luck, he had been already on the edge of his bed and when he turned, he fell on the floor.

And now, when he was working on one of his projects, he drifted off to sleep. Comfortably laying on his hands.

"Hiccup?" Fishlegs called, acknowledging that his friend wasn't giving any reaction. He turned and saw him sleeping. And the funny thing was, that Hiccup was murmuring something in his sleep.

"…function flight…," Hiccup murmured. "…speed equals distance over time…"

Fishlegs began snickering quietly. He took his phone and began recording. Hiccup would surely want to see this when he wakes up.

* * *

It was already lunch time and Hiccup didn't get any better. He seriously needed to sleep. Fishlegs had awakened him six times! He was happy that no one of other employees noticed him dozing off during the work.

Since his father was the CEO, everyone was paying a much attention to him. It was like they were waiting for him to do something wrong.

When Hiccup was lost in his thoughts, Astrid entered the cafeteria. Her friends were still practicing so she was alone. After buying her lunch, she began searching for a place to sit. All the tables were taken, and she didn't want to seat with the strangers. Suddenly she saw a familiar mop of auburn hair. A smile crept across her face and she began heading towards the table.

Beside Hiccup was sitting, a chubby, blonde man. It was Fisher, or how people called him Fishlegs. Berk had this strange thing with nicknames. They met when Mr. Haddock invited her to celebrate Hiccup's and Fishlegs' victory in Viking Burger.

Astrid was already a few feet away from the table where her friends were sitting, but they still haven't noticed her. Hiccup had his chin placed on his hand and was deep in thoughts. He wasn't looking good. What happened next, made Astrid gasp.

Hiccup's chin slid from his hand and he planted face down on his mashed potatoes. Astrid ran to him wanting to know if he's okay, but then she heard his quiet snores. Astrid began chuckling, understanding that Hiccup was asleep.

"Is he okay?" she asked Fishlegs. The blonde man looked at her and shrugged.

"I guess he was working on one of his projects again. Completely forgetting about sleep," he answered casually. Astrid guessed that this happened frequently.

Fishlegs nudged Hiccup, trying to awake him. After some shaking, Hiccup awoke.

"Huh?" Hiccup said snapping his head up. He began looking around trying to understand what had happened. Then, he noticed Astrid. "Oh! Hey, Astrid, hi, Astrid, hi Astrid…"

Astrid chuckled at his reaction and because there was a mashed potato on his face.

"Hey. Can I sit here?"

"Of course!" Hiccup said now completely awake. He moved aside giving Astrid a place to sit. He was still completely unaware of the mashed potato on his face.

"Um, Hiccup, there's something, something on your cheek," Astrid said chuckling and pointing at his cheek.

Hiccup touched his cheek and noticed the mashed potato on his fingers. He quickly cleaned it from his face and then looked at Astrid. Fishlegs was just watching with amusement how Hiccup was embarrassing himself in front of the girl he liked.

"Can we just pretend that this didn't happen?" Hiccup asked rubbing the back of his neck.

"What didn't happen?" asked Astrid smirking. Hiccup smiled and they began having a conversation while enjoying their lunch.

* * *

"Please work, please work," whispered Hiccup. He was going to try the AI for his plane that he created. Well, it wasn't actually an AI, it was more like a voice assistant.

Hiccup wore the gloves and his jacket, which had sensors in them. And then he pressed the key on his keyboard. He was running this program for maybe twentieth time today.

"Hello," said a female voice. "I'm Ally, your assistant, how can I help you?"

Hiccup smiled. This was good. There were times when she didn't respond or even talked gibberish! Ally was able to check your vital statistics, she could tell you about the state of the plane, weather, everything about aeronautics, she even had a database of all people who were involved in that area!

And, yes. He had named the AI, Ally. Well, to be honest, at first, he wanted to name it Astrid, since the voice was reminding him of her. But that would be creepy, so he named it Ally.

"Okay, can you check my heart rate?" he asked. Here goes nothing. Last time she said that his temperature was 35,9 C (96.6 F), so he began to panic. Then he checked it and his temperature was normal.

"Your heart rate now is 73, sir. Which is normal for an adult," answered the program. Hiccup's smile grew wider. Okay, this worked. Now he needed to check the other things.

"Will tomorrow rain?"

"It's 23 percent that tomorrow will rain," answered Ally. Hiccup checked the other things and the only thing that stayed was the database.

"Okay, can you tell me about Astrid Hofferson?"

Hiccup didn't know why he chose her, but he couldn't take her out of his mind.

"Astrid Hofferson, the best pilot of Berk…," Ally began telling information about Astrid. And then a photo took Hiccup's breath away. Astrid was in a simple red dress, her hair in her usual bride. The photo was taken on the day of the party. She was, as her name says, 'Divine Beauty'. Suddenly Ally spoke and what she said, made Hiccup blush furiously.

"I've noticed that your heart rate increased and you have accelerated breathing, sir. Since I don't see any signs of fear that means you're reacting to-."

"Shut up! Shut up!" Hiccup exclaimed flustered and began searching for the key to mute it. But Ally didn't shut up till she ended her sentence. "Useless program…"

After a while of silence, Hiccup awkwardly cleared his throat. Well, Astrid was a pilot and that's understandable that Ally put her in the database. Now he needed to check if she put people who aren't pilots-but are working in aeronautics area-in the database.

"Tell me information about Stoick Haddock," Hiccup said.

"Stoick Haddock, the owner, and CEO of Berk's Light-Sport Aircraft Manufacturer. 53 years old, married, has one child. Was born and raised in Berk. Graduated Berk's High School and Berk's University's Business branch. In the age of 28, married to his wife-Valka Jorgensen. After a year, was born their son Henry. 10 months after his birth, Valka Haddock disappeared," said the AI, but Hiccup wasn't listening anymore. He was staring at the photo of his father and mother, on their wedding day. There were smiles on their faces, and it was clear that they were in love.

Stoick never talked much about his wife. It was very painful for him. He only had told Hiccup that she disappeared and that she was a pilot, but nothing more. Then Hiccup got an idea.

"Can you tell me any information about my mother?" he asked. When he searched about her on the internet, he had found nothing that he didn't know. But the database collected information from everywhere, where it could. So maybe it could give him some extra information.

"Sorry, sir, but I don't know your identity. If you'll-," started Ally, but Hiccup interrupted her.

"Valka Haddock. Have you any information about Valka Haddock?"

After a minute of silence, Ally spoke.

"Valka Haddock-Jorgensen, a pilot. Was born on February 18, 1968. At the age 25, married to Stoick Haddock. After a year was born their son, Henry. At 1992 became the best pilot of Archipelago. Disappeared at December 21, 1994."

Hiccup knew that his mother was a pilot. But he never knew that she was the best pilot of Archipelago! He looked at the picture of his mother receiving her badge, as the best pilot of Archipelago. Although it was more information that he knew, to his disappointment, there was nothing about her disappearance.

Hiccup sighed and closed his laptop. Sometimes he really wanted to meet her. Everyone was telling him that his mother was very kind. That she was always helping the ones who were in need. And also they were saying that he was like her.

He had seen her mother's photos and he agreed, he looked like her. They had the same forest green eyes and auburn hair. But since he never knew her, he couldn't say if they were similar inside.

Hiccup thought how it would be if she was still here. He would have a mother and he wouldn't be alone. He knew that his father was trying to do the best for the company since he wanted to give it to him. But he really missed spending time with him.

Maybe if his mother was still with them, she would teach him how to fly a plane! His father had forbidden him to learn flying a plane and he still didn't know why. Maybe if she was still here she could convince him.

Hiccup sighed again. Thinking about his mother made him sad. He needs to think about the positive. He almost finished his airplane! From two days it would be ready! Yay!

Hiccup laid on his bed and closed his eyes. He was exhausted. He was working on the plane three weeks non-stop! He needed to get rest. The auburn-haired man got under the covers, and after a minute, he was asleep.

 **So that's it. I hope you liked this chapter. In case you're confused about Valka's birth surname being Jorgensen. Since in this story, Hiccup and Snotlout are cousins, but their surnames are different I assumed that Valka was a Jorgensen. And what you think, what happened to Valka? Have a nice day and until next time :)**


	11. Chapter 11: The Date

**Hey, guys. The new chapter is here! How are you? The second trailer is AMAZING! If you haven't seen it (I doubt that), GO AND WATCH IT RIGHT NOW! It's funny and at the same time very touching. So I'm not gonna bore you with my talk how amazing the trailer was and let you read the chapter.**

 **To Guest:** Actually, Hiccup had gloves and a jacket, with sensors. I just forgot to write about them. My bad :( I have already added them. And I'm happy that the funny parts made chapter interesting. Also, I know that it definitely takes more time than 7 days to make an AI. I'm studying programming too. And it took me a month to make Conway's Game of Life. In case you don't know. In Game of Life, you create objects like grass, herbaceous, predator, human, black hole (I remember that I created a real black hole :'D It kept expanding and expanding, till the computer turned on the debugger. In another case it would have a memory crash), etc. And that objects are making their own decisions. Like where to grow or which grass to eat. Also, it changes the seasons. For example, at winter it's snowing, at autumn the grass is growing slower. Sorry, I got carried away. What I want to say that it took me a month to create something that a bit resembles an AI. And it would surely take more than two months to a good programmer to create an AI. But since it wasn't matching the story's plot, I had to change it.

 **To Eris:** I was laughing writing that scene and I'm glad that you liked it :) I'm not gonna tell you how will Hiccup look since I want it to be a surprise.

 **Chapter 11: The Date**

It was finally done! The plane was ready! Hiccup went to his room and collapsed on the bed. Three weeks of hard work and sleepless nights, and now he was done. He finally could get some rest. He wanted to just lay on his bed and do nothing for a week, but he knew that it was impossible.

Hiccup closed his eyes and tried to get some sleep. But you know what? He couldn't. He couldn't get something, or more correctly-somebody out of his mind.

Astrid. He couldn't get her out of his mind. He missed spending time with her. He missed seeing the twinkle in her azure eyes when she was teasing him. Or when she was punching him, even if it was painful. When he was seeing her smile, all his worries were disappearing.

These past weeks they had been meeting rarely. He was busy with the plane; he couldn't spend time with her, nor with any of his friends. When they were meeting, they were just having short conversations. That wasn't enough for him. He wanted to spend more and more time with her. He was always thinking about her.

Last time when they normally talked was on their date. Their date… Hiccup had a love stuck expression on his face. Their date had been amazing…

 **A few weeks ago**

"What do you think, bud. Which is better. The red one, or the green one?" asked Hiccup holding two shirts. He turned back to the mirror.

It had passed thirty minutes since he had woken up and he couldn't decide what to wear. He wanted to look good, but at the same time casual. His room was a mess. The clothes were thrown everywhere.

Toothless just rolled his eyes at Hiccup's question and went back to sleep. His friend sometimes could be really annoying. Hiccup groaned at the dog's reaction and looked back at the shirts.

After some debating, he wore blue jeans, a green shirt that resembled the color of his eyes, and sneakers. He looked at the mirror and tried to tame his hair. The attempt was unsuccessful, so he left it just like that.

He went to his desk and after removing the black shirt from it, took the new leash he had bought for Toothless. It wasn't like his other leashes; it was from rubber. It wouldn't be easy for Toothless to cut this one.

They went downstairs, and Hiccup took his backpack. He had put there a blanket, some sandwiches, and drinks. He thought that when the dogs would be playing, he and Astrid could have a picnic.

He put Toothless' leash on and they left the house. After 15 minutes, they were in the park. The black dog began pulling Hiccup stronger, eager to see his new friend. When they were in the middle of the park, Hiccup noticed the familiar golden retriever and the blonde woman.

Stormfly noticed them too and ran to them. Toothless began jumping in his place, joyfully, so Hiccup took the leash off. The black dog sprinted to his friend and they began playing.

Astrid noticing that Stormfly ran away, turned. She saw Hiccup, taking Toothless' leash off. When he stood up, she waved him. Hiccup awkwardly waved her back and began walking towards the bench where she was sitting.

"H-hey Astrid," he greeted, stuttering. Why is he stuttering!? Pull yourself together Hiccup! You don't want to be embarrassed in front of Astrid!

"Hey, Hiccup," Astrid greeted back. Oh, gods! She was beautiful. She was wearing light blue jeans, white converses, and a beautiful white sleeveless blouse. Her hair in her usual braid.

"You look beautiful," Hiccup blurted out. Then understanding what he said, blushed furiously and looked down. He prepared to be punched.

"Thanks," Astrid said, blushing too. Although, Hiccup hadn't noticed her blush since he was still looking down.

Hearing her response, he was surprised. Hiccup had seen few guys being punched for calling her beautiful. A dorky smile crept across his face.

"Um, I thought that when Toothless and Stormfly will be playing, we can have a picnic. So, um, I've brought a blanket, some sandwiches and drinks," Hiccup said rubbing the back of his neck. Astrid had noticed that he was doing that when he was nervous.

"That's a great idea!" she exclaimed smiling. "C'mon, let's put the blanket."

Hiccup smiled too and they began searching for a good place for a picnic. Not too far from where their dogs were playing, they found a peaceful place, surrounded by trees. They put the blanket and sat on it.

"Okay, I have sandwiches with ham and cheese, cheese and tomato, ham and tomato…," began Hiccup opening his backpack.

"Do you have sandwiches with everything?" Astrid asked. Hiccup smirked.

"You read my mind, Milady," he said taking from his backpack two sandwiches. He handed one to Astrid.

"So what are you doing at your free time?" asked Astrid taking a bite of her sandwich.

"You already know Gobber," said Hiccup. Astrid nodded. "So he has a workshop and I spend my free time there. I've literally grown in that workshop. When my dad was going to business trips he was taking me there and that's where I learned how to repair planes. Now, I'm going there and helping Gobber."

"That's cool."

"So, now you tell me, what are you doing on your free time?' asked Hiccup shifting to a more comfortable position on the blanket.

"Well, hmm. Since there would be The Archipelago championship from two months, I train a lot. And also, um, I have a hobby that a few people know about," Astrid began. Hiccup nodded encouragingly since he was eager to know what hobby she had. "It's axe throwing."

"Axe throwing?" Hiccup asked wanting to make sure he heard right.

"Yeah. When I was little, my dad always told me that many years ago, in Berk lived Vikings. And Hoffersons were one of them. Every Viking should know how to fight. So when I turned ten, my dad gave me a battle axe. He began teaching me how to use it. And then, they had a car crush…," her voice quietened at the end. "Axe throwing really helped me. I was going to the forest every day and throwing my axe to the trees. It was helping me to release my emotions and also it was reminding me of dad. Since then, I'm always training with it." Astrid didn't know why she told all these things to Hiccup. She usually never told someone about this and only Heather- her best friend, knew. But with Hiccup she felt free to talk about it.

"Well, you're not the only one who hears the Viking talks. My dad has a war hammer in his bedroom!" Hiccup said trying to enlighten the mood.

"Seriously?" Astrid asked surprised. She couldn't see a huge businessman like Stoick Haddock, having a war hammer in his bedroom.

Hiccup stood up and cleared his throat.

"We're Vikings son!" he began imitating his father. "Haddocks had been the chiefs of Berk for generations! You should know our history and be proud that you're a Viking!"

Astrid was laughing since Hiccup was imitating his father really good. He sat down at the blanket and began laughing with her.

"Okay, since I've told you something personal about me, now you need to tell me something personal," said Astrid turning to him.

"Okay, um, well, you know," Hiccup began feeling self-conscious. "Ilovedragons."

"You love what?" asked Astrid, since she couldn't properly understand what he said.

"I love dragons. I was fascinated by them since I was a kid. I've never told this to anyone. Um, you can laugh if you want," Hiccup said rubbing the back of his neck. He hung his head, being ready to be ridiculed.

"Why would I do that?"

"You wouldn't?" asked Hiccup surprised.

"Actually, I love them too," she said laying on the blanket.

"You what!?" asked Hiccup, shocked. He could never imagine Astrid loving dragons.

"Yeah, I loved them a much when I was a kid. Then I grew up and forgot about them," she said. Hiccup laid on the blanket too.

"What's your favorite dragon?" he asked. If it was for him, he would say that she was like a Deadly Nadder.

"Deadly Nadder."

"I knew that Nadder will be your favorite," said Hiccup smiling. He was happy that he guessed right.

"How?" Astrid asked confused.

"Well, the Nadders are loyal, powerful, intelligent, fearless, strong, and beautiful. Just like you," Hiccup whispered the last part, but Astrid still heard it. She was really touched by what he said.

"So, Dragon boy, what dragon is your favorite?" Astrid asked.

"The Night Fury."

"The unholy offspring of lightning and death itself. Interesting," Astrid said.

For some time, there were just laying on the blanket and staring at the sky. Then Hiccup broke the silence.

"What do you think? Where are Toothless and Stormfly?" he asked standing up.

"I don't know. I haven't seen them after we came here," Astrid answered taking the hand Hiccup offered and pulling herself up.

They began searching for their dogs in the park. It passed ten minutes, but they couldn't find them. Astrid was worried. Stormfly never was away from her and she could get lost.

Opposite to Astrid, Hiccup seemed calm. He knew that Toothless will not get lost. There had been a time when Toothless gone missing, but that was when he… It dawned on him.

He began laughing. Astrid looked at him like he was crazy.

"I know where they are," Hiccup said an amused smile on his face. Astrid's face lit up.

"Where?"

"Well, I don't know _exactly_ where they are, but…" Hiccup began. Astrid looked confused, then she began getting angry.

"Just spit it out, Hiccup!"

"They're playing hide and seek," he answered casually. Astrid just stared at him, not being able to understand what he had just said. Hiccup noticing the look on her face continued. "There was a time when Toothless gone missing, and in the end, I understood that he was playing hide and seek with me."

"So, now we're just gonna search for them?" Astrid asked finally understanding what he said.

"Yep," Hiccup answered and began searching.

It passed thirty minutes, but there was still no sign of Toothless, nor Stormfly.

"Ugh! Where are they!?" Astrid exclaimed throwing her hands up in the air. How can dogs be so good at playing hide and seek!?

Hiccup wasn't paying attention to Astrid since he heard a shuffling in the bushes.

"Shhh," he whispered to Astrid putting his finger to his lips. Astrid stopped and began hearing carefully. They heard shuffling in the bushes again. Hiccup carefully approached the bush and then jumped to the other side.

He noticed one black Labrador and one Golden Retriever, looking at him, surprised. They hadn't expected him to find them. Hiccup had a triumphant smirk on his face.

Astrid ran to Stormfly and hugged her.

"Never do that to me! I was worried sick!" she exclaimed. Stormfly just looked at her with apologetic eyes. Instead of giving Hiccup apologetic eyes, Toothless jumped on him and tackled him on the ground.

"Don't you dare," Hiccup said glaring at Toothless, knowing what the dog wanted to do next. He looked towards Astrid. She was busy with her dog, so he quietly whispered to Toothless. "I don't want to go on a date with my clothes soaked in your saliva."

Toothless looked at him and then laughed. He let Hiccup go. Toothless knew that Hiccup was swooning over Astrid for a long time. He didn't want to ruin their date, knowing how his friend waited for this. Hiccup stood up and dusted himself.

"Thanks, bud," he said scratching Toothless chin. The black dog gave him a gummy smile.

He then noticed Astrid and Stormfly heading towards them. The blonde female was smiling, and Stormfly was happily running beside her. Hiccup tied Toothless' leash, as Astrid had done with Stormfly's.

"Okay, since I've promised you a coffee. Shall we go, Milady?" Hiccup asked offering his hand and bowing.

"Of course, kind sir," Astrid answered taking his hand. They began laughing. Hiccup noticed that they were still holding hands. He blushed, but seeing that Astrid wasn't doing any attempts to take it back, he continued to hold it. Her hand fitted perfect in his.

They began walking down the street.

"Are you going to tell me where we're going, or you want it to be a surprise?" Astrid asked after some time.

"You'll find out soon," Hiccup answered, smiling. He was taking her to his favorite coffee shop- 'The Cove'. He really liked there, it was cozy and there always was playing a good music. And the coolest thing was, that it's dog-friendly!

Soon Toothless began pulling Hiccup hard, so he had to hold the leash tightly. Noticing that, Stormfly began pulling Astrid too.

"What are they doing?" Astrid asked holding Stormfly's leash tightly. The black dog noticing that his friend wanted to overrun him, began pulling with more force.

"I think they're racing," Hiccup said, barely holding the Toothless' leash.

"Racing?"

"Yeah. We always go for a run these days. We haven't done that for a long time and I think he misses them," Hiccup answered, scratching Toothless under the chin.

"Stormfly and I are going for runs too. No one has beaten us!" she exclaimed getting excited.

"Well, Toothless and I aren't bad, either," Hiccup said. The dogs had stopped pulling and now were listening to their conversation.

"Was that a challenge?" Astrid asked smirking. She loved a good challenge. Hiccup returned the smirk.

"Maybe."

"In that case, let's race to that lamppost and see who's faster," Astrid said, crossing her arms. She would enjoy winning him.

"Okay. If I'll win, then I'll buy you a coffee," Hiccup said turning to her.

"Oh, trying to be gentlemen, I see," Astrid said. Hiccup just smiled innocently and shrugged. "So, what are you gonna do if _I_ 'll win?"

"Then I'll buy you a coffee _and_ a brownie."

"Good," Astrid said. This was great. At first, she would enjoy winning Hiccup and then a cup of coffee and a brownie.

"Okay," Hiccup said getting ready to run. "One…"

"Two…"

"THREE! They yelled simultaneously and began running.

At first, Astrid was in the front. She already had a winning smirk on her face. But then, Hiccup appeared beside her and ran forward. He had won. Astrid couldn't believe it! She was fast, and there were only a few people who can beat her. She guessed that the auburn-haired dork now was one of them.

"Who thought you can run _that_ fast?" Astrid asked catching her breath.

"Well I've said that I'm good at that," Hiccup said, crossing his arms.

When they caught their breaths, they turned to the right and continued walking.

"We're here," Hiccup said after some time, gesturing to the coffee shop.

"Um, Hiccup? You're aware that we're with dogs, right?" Astrid asked. She had thought that they would just buy a cup of coffee and sit in the park. She didn't want to leave Stormfly and Toothless outside and go to drink a coffee at the cafe.

"Yes, I'm aware, Milady. And this coffee shop is dog-friendly," answered Hiccup smiling. Astrid hadn't thought about that. She should've known that Hiccup would never leave Toothless and Stormfly outside, and go enjoying his coffee.

Hiccup opened the door for her and she entered the cafe. Immediately, the smell of freshly brewed coffee filled her nostrils. In the corner, the dogs were playing with each other. The music filled the air and people were chatting. She really liked the friendly atmosphere here.

They sat around the table, beside the window. After a while, a waitress with wild blonde hair approached them.

"Hey, Hiccup," she greeted.

"Hi, Cami," Hiccup greeted back. He was being in this coffee shop frequently. So, he and Cami were talking about random things, when she had a time. They were good friends.

"So, you want the same as always?" she asked. Hiccup nodded. "And I see you're not alone today."

"Yeah, this is Astrid, my …friend," Hiccup said gesturing to Astrid. He didn't know how to call her. Yes, they were on a date, but they weren't dating. So he couldn't call her his girlfriend. Although, he would really want to.

"Astrid and this is Cami, also, my friend," Hiccup said this time gesturing to Cami.

"Hey," Astrid greeted. She didn't know what else to say and she wanted to be polite. Cami smirked.

"So what's your order?" she asked turning to Astrid.

"I'll take a Cappuccino."

"Oh, Cami, can you also bring a brownie for Astrid?" Hiccup asked. Astrid was flattered that, despite, winning the bet, Hiccup still bought her a brownie.

"Ok," Cami said and left. After a few minutes, she returned with two coffees and two brownies.

Before leaving, she leaned and whispered to Hiccup's ear.

"She's a good one, don't lose her."

Hiccup blushed and then Cami left. There was an awkward silence, but then Astrid broke it.

"So, um, you and Cami are … _friends_ ," she said playing with the spoon in her coffee.

"Oh, yeah. Since I'm being here frequently, we're having good conversations, sometimes. When she's not busy," Hiccup answered.

"Oh… Okay," Astrid answered and began quietly eating her brownie.

Hiccup thought that he had noticed a hint of jealousy in her voice. Astrid was jealous of _Cami_ , and because of _him_. This might be a dream. But Hiccup chose to not say anything since he didn't want to be punched.

* * *

The sun had already set and Hiccup was walking Astrid home. Their dogs weren't running around like they were doing in the morning since they were tired from a busy day.

Astrid's house wasn't far away from the park, so it took them fifteen minutes to get there. When they got to the house Astrid stood in front of the door. There was an awkward silence. And then Astrid punched him.

"That's, for winning me."

"Hey! But I-," he was interrupted, when Astrid grabbed his collar, pulled him close and kissed his cheek.

"And that's for everything else," she said blushing. Hiccup just stood there shocked.

"Good night, Hiccup," she said and quickly entered the house.

"Good night…," Hiccup murmured. But Astrid couldn't hear it since she was already inside. Hiccup touched his cheek.

"Tell me I'm not dreaming, bud," he said, still shocked. Toothless barked.

That day was the best day of his life.

* * *

Hiccup unconsciously touched his cheek, a smile creeping across his face. That really was the best day of his life. Spending time with Astrid was wonderful. And now he realized something. He didn't like Astrid anymore…

…he was in love with her.

 **So that's it. I hope you liked this Hiccstrid chapter. I don't think I'll be able to update every week now, because of the school (Ugh!). But I'll try to update as soon as I can. Have a nice day and until next time :)**


	12. Chapter 12: The Test Flight

**Happy Halloween! And here's my gift for you. Yep, you've guessed it right. A new chapter! Surprised? Well, since it's autumn holidays, I have a lot of time to write. And also this story now has 10.000+ views! I'm so happy! Thank you so much! I'll shut up now, and let you read the chapter.**

 **Grima:** I know it's taking a bit long to reach that, but Hiccup needs at first to learn how to fly a plane. And it will take 5-6 chapters, till his alter-ego will appear.

 **Chapter 12: The Test Flight**

Hiccup slowly opened his eyes. He hadn't heard the familiar sound of his alarm today. And you know why? It was Sunday! That meant no work, free day, and more sleep.

Hiccup exhaled happily. He sat on his bed and checked the time. It was 11:30 am. He had a good and well-deserved sleep. He stretched his limbs and stood up.

Soon a black dog came running to him.

"Hey, bud!" Hiccup greeted, petting Toothless. "How are you?"

Toothless barked and left the room. Hiccup raised his brow, confused by the dog's actions. After a few seconds, Toothless returned holding the leash.

"Wow. You want to go on a walk so much, that you'll even let me put a leash on you?" Hiccup asked, surprised. This was serious, Toothless hated the leashes.

"Bud, I'm sorry. I have to go to the workshop. I need to ask Gobber something. I'll be back soon and we'll go on a walk. I promise," he said and Toothless sadly whined.

"Or maybe. If you want, you can come with me to the workshop and then we'll go on a walk," Hiccup suggested. That wasn't a bad idea. Toothless barked happily.

"But, you need to behave," Hiccup said. He didn't want to run after his dog all the way to the workshop. Toothless obediently sat down, and gave him a gummy smile, promising to behave. "Okay, let me get ready."

It passed 10 minutes, and Hiccup was ready. He put the Toothless' leash on and they left the house. The workshop was 20 minutes away from their house by foot.

When they arrived, they were greeted by Gobber's singing.

" _I've got mah axe and I've got mah mace. And I love mah wife with the ugly face. I'm a Viking through and through!"_

Toothless whined and covered his ears.

"I know, bud. I know," Hiccup said, frowning.

"Hey, Gobber," he greeted, approaching the mechanic, who as always was repairing a plane.

"Oh, hey, laddie," Gobber greeted back. He stood up and cleaned his hand on his pants. He then noticed Toothless. "And hello to ya too, little troublemaker! I havnae see ya for a while!"

Gobber scratched Toothless under the chin, and the black dog purred in delight.

"So, how's yer plane?" he asked.

"Actually, it's already ready," Hiccup said. The plane was in the further corner of the workshop, where Gobber wasn't being frequently. The mechanic had seen the plane on random stages of the building, but he hadn't seen the ready one.

"Good job, lad!" Gobber exclaimed patting Hiccup's back. "When I'm gonna see it?"

"Um, since you talked about that. I have a favor to ask," Hiccup began. Gobber looked at him, expectantly. "I don't want Dad to know about the plane, _yet_. Since I want it to be a _surprise_! So I can't ask for any of the pilots in the company to test my plane. And If it's alright with you, I hoped, you'll agree to test it."

He could surely ask pilots in the company to test his plane and ask them to not tell his dad. But it wasn't for a surprise. There was another reason behind it. He was thinking about his plane and what he's gonna do about it, a lot lately. And he finally came to a conclusion. He didn't want any other person to fly it. Hiccup wanted to fly his plane by _himself_.

He didn't know if Gobber would agree to test it. After the accident, he decided to leave piloting and opened his workshop. It wasn't because he feared flying. No. It's just he decided that it was time for him to retire and begin to do his other favorite thing- repairing planes.

Gobber knew that the reason why Hiccup didn't want Stoick to know about the plane, wasn't _surprising_ him. There was another reason, but he decided not to push the boy.

After some thinking he said.

"Okay, laddie. I'll do it for ya."

Hiccup was overjoyed. "Thank you, Gobber! You don't know how much this means to me!"

Hiccup was as happy as a child on Snoggletog. Gobber laughed. He knew the lad since he was little. Hiccup was the son he never had. And he loved him dearly.

* * *

It was five o'clock when Hiccup entered the workshop. Around this time Gobber was finishing his work and closing. Of course, if Hiccup wasn't still working.

Gobber approached him, cleaning his hands with a rag.

"Oh, laddie. I was waiting for ya," he said and put the rag aside. "So, are ye gonna show meh yer plane, or not?"

"Yeah. Come," Hiccup said and went further into the workshop. He approached the plane which was covered with a blanket.

When Hiccup uncovered the plane, Gobber saw a sleek black, low-wing monoplane. The mechanic whistled. It was a fine work of art! He approached and looked inside. The plane was two-crew. Inside were seats from black leather. In cockpit was a big central LED screen. And the plane was controlled by a side stick.

Gobber was eager to test it.

"Laddie, this is the best plane I've ever seen, and I'm honored tae test it," Gobber said honestly. Hiccup was flattered.

"Okay. Help me tae roll it intae the truck," Gobber said and went to the plane's left wing. Hiccup went to the right, and they rolled it into the truck. They both got into the vehicle and Gobber began driving.

"Where we're going," asked Hiccup. They couldn't test the plane in the city. So, he knew that they were going outside the town. But he didn't know a place with a runway, or a proper road, where they could test it.

"It's a half hour away from 'ere," answered Gobber, not taking his eyes from the road. "Ya might as well get comfortable."

Taking Gobber's advice, Hiccup got comfortable and looked outside the window.

They drove for thirty minutes, and Gobber stopped. "We're here," he said and got out of the truck. Hiccup got out too. The first thing he saw was a big hangar, painted red. The paint was falling in many places, indicating that it was old. Hiccup looked at the road, on which he was standing. He saw a traces of yellow painted arrows. He was standing on a runway. Hiccup also saw a few old buildings a bit far from the hangar.

He didn't know about this place. The only places which had runways were Berk's Aviation College and their company.

"Ah, brings back old memories," said Gobber, smiling. "This is where ol' Gobber learned how tae fly."

"So, this is some kind of an old aviation college?"

"Aye, this was where Berk's youngsters, were learning tae fly. Then the new one was built-around fiftnae years ago and the college was moved. People slowly began forgetting about this place," said Gobber and went to the back of the truck. "C'mon, laddie. Help me with yer plane."

They rolled the plane out of the truck and placed it on the runway. Gobber drove the truck away from the road and went back to Hiccup.

"Okay, laddie. Let's begin," he said. Hiccup got into the back seat when Gobber occupied the pilot seat.

Gobber wanted to start the plane, but he noticed a problem. "Uh, Hiccup. I donnae think I can test yer plane."

"Why?" Hiccup asked, confused. Gobber gestured to the stick, and then to his hook. It took Hiccup a few seconds to understand what old pilot meant. "Oh! That's not a problem!"

Hiccup got out of the plane and approached Gobber.

"Can you control with the right hand?" Hiccup asked. Gobber nodded. Hiccup took the screwdriver and took the stick's crews out. He took the wires off and removed the stick. Then he went to Gobber's right side. He took off the screws from a piece of metal, beside the pilot seat and then removed it. Under it were wires. Hiccup installed the stick there and checked if all the wires were connected correctly. Then he closed the gap, on the other side of the pilot.

Gobber was looking at all of this with interest.

"Tada!" Hiccup said, finishing his job. "I thought that there will be people who are left-handed, and it will be more comfortable for them if the stick was moving."

Gobber just smiled. Only his brilliant apprentice could do this. Hiccup went back to his seat.

"Are ye nervous?" asked Gobber, starting the plane.

"Well, no. I'm really excited, counting that this will be my first time flying," Hiccup answered. Yep. He had never flown on a plane. His dad not only forbade him to learn to fly a plane, but also to _sit_ in one.

"Good evening," greeted Ally. Gobber yelped.

"What's that?" he asked.

"I'm Ally, your personal assistant," answered Ally. Gobber began eyeing the monitor, suspiciously.

"Care tae explain, Hiccup?"

"Well, this is Ally. She's something like an AI- artificial intellect. She's really helpful. She can tell you everything about the plane's condition, information in the area of aeronautics, the weather, your vital statics, though I can't show you this one, cuz I don't have my jacket and gloves with me," Hiccup explained. Gobber was looking at him disbelievingly. Noticing that, Hiccup added. "Look. Ally, can you tell me the condition of the plane?"

"The ailerons, flaps, and rudder are moving freely. Fuel tanks are full and fuel has no contaminants. The propeller is not damaged. The engine-" Ally began, but Gobber interrupted.

"I prefer tae do the checks by mahself, thank you." It was obvious that Gobber was not liking the AI.

He began doing his checks. After some time, he said.

"Okay. I think we're ready tae take off!" Gobber said happily. However, his happiness disappeared when Ally spoke.

"You forgot to check the pedals, sir."

"Ah, yeah! The pedals!" Gobber said and checked them. Then realizing that he was making the program right, quickly added. "And for yer record, I havnae forgotten them! I just wanted tae check them… _later_."

"But, as you said earlier," Ally said and played the recording of Gobber's words-'Okay. I think we're ready tae take off!' "I assume that you've forgotten about them."

Hiccup was snickering in the back. He found the interaction between Gobber and the program amusing.

"Ah, shut up! Ye ol' piece of metal!" Gobber exclaimed getting frustrated.

"By my records, I was created two weeks ago. And you were born March 11 of 1965. That makes you 53 years, 1 month, and 3 days older than me," Ally objected.

"Yer calling meh old!?" Gobber exclaimed, angrily. The man was the most cheerful person in the Archipelago, and it was hard to make him angry. But now he was furious because of a stupid program. "Hiccup say to yer stupid program tae shut up! Or I'm gonnae leave and never come back!"

Hiccup was dying from laughter. He hardly maintained his laugh and said to Ally. "Ally, please keep quiet and open the flight instruments."

Ally didn't respond and on the screen appeared the flight instruments. Gobber adjusted the flaps to the proper angle for takeoff, pushed the fuel mixture knob completely in, and the plane began driving. When the plane achieved a certain speed to create enough lift, Gobber pulled the stick back and the plane raised into the air.

Hiccup began getting nervous. This wasn't just his first time flying, it was the _test flight_ of his plane. He was sure that everything would be fine. But still, he was nervous.

When they were in high in the air, after some flying, Gobber said.

"So, laddie. What you'll say if we do some aerobatics?"

Hiccup gulped. After all, his plane was a _sport_ plane, and they were supposed to do aerobatics on the test flight.

"Let's go," he managed to say. _Here goes nothing_.

Gobber flew straight for a few seconds and then, the torture began. They began rolling and then doing loops. Hiccup had closed his eyes, wanting to just all of this to end. Gobber decided to go easy on the boy and after some rolling and loops, he straightened the plane.

Feeling that they weren't spinning anymore, Hiccup opened his eyes. He was feeling nauseous.

"So, how're ye, laddie," Gobber asked, turning to Hiccup. The lad looked pale and was breathing uneven.

"Well, not counting that my stomach turned inside out and my life flashed before my eyes, I'm fine," he answered sarcasm oozing from his words. Gobber laughed, turning back. Even if the lad would be feeling awful, he would still not lose his sarcasm.

The sun began setting. And the sky was colored with the shades of purple, red and blue. Berk was famous with its charming sunsets. But Gobber had never seen a one this beautiful, and it was even more beautiful from the sky.

"Laddie, I think ye might want tae see this," he said to Hiccup who had leaned on his seat and was trying to get rid of nausea.

Hiccup sat forward and looked out of the window. The scene caught his breath, it was… beautiful. After some time of flying, the clouds disappeared and Hiccup saw Berk. He thought that it would be beautiful from the sky, but it was different to see it with his own eyes.

The houses were looking like little dots. Even the Berk Plaza-the largest building in Berk was just a mere dot. The city's lights were shining beautifully. Hiccup saw the park, where he loved to walk with Toothless. Then the mall, where they enjoyed playing bowling with his father. And then he saw the workshop. It was just a little dot, but Hiccup was sure that it was the place where he spent most of his time.

After a spin over Berk, Gobber turned and began heading back to the runway. The pilot reduced the airspeed and they began landing. The process wasn't pleasant for Hiccup since his nausea was reminding him of it.

When they touched the ground, plane drove for a few miles and then stopped.

"Eh, I've forgotten what et felt like tae fly," said Gobber getting out of the plane. After all of these years, it was great to be flying again. He turned to Hiccup. "How are ye, laddie?"

"I'll live," said Hiccup, getting out of the plane. He was pale and his surroundings were spinning. He leaned on the plane and waited, till he began feeling alright.

Gobber decided it was time to bring up the reason why Hiccup didn't want his father to know about the plane.

"The reason why ye don't want tae yer father tae know about the plane, isn't tae surprise him, isn't it?" he asked. Hiccup sighed and hung his head. Of course, Gobber would guess that. The old mechanic knew him too well. He was surprised that he hadn't asked him earlier.

"Yeah, it isn't," he admitted, pushing himself off the plane and standing in front of Gobber.

"So, what's the real reason, laddie?"

Hiccup began getting nervous. He didn't know how will Gobber react to his answer. But he didn't want to lie to him anymore. _And here we go._

"Um, I-I want to learn to fly a plane," he answered, quickly. Not daring to look at Gobber.

"And how're ye gonna do that?" Gobber asked. Hiccup snapped his head up. This wasn't _exactly_ the answer he was expecting.

"What?"

"I asked, laddie, how're ye gonna do that?" Gobber repeated.

"Well, um, I was thinking that I can watch videos on the internet, and maybe Ally can help," Hiccup answered. That was right. He was thinking about watching videos on the internet, or reading articles, maybe. And Ally knew everything about aeronautics, and she would surely know how to fly a plane.

Gobber muttered something, that suspiciously sounded like 'stupid program'. There was a long silence, and then Gobber said. "I'll teach ye."

Hiccup's eyes shot wide. Did he hear it right? Had Gobber said that he would teach him?

"Y-you will?" he asked, hesitating. Gobber nodded.

"Aye, I'll teach ya. I donnae want a stupid program tae do that. What am I supposed tae say tae yer father when his son will crush on a plane, cuz he decided tae learn flying a plane watching videos in intarnat?" asked Gobber. Hiccup found it amusing that Gobber said 'internet' wrong. But chose to not say anything.

"But you know that we'll be going behind my father's back, right?" asked Hiccup. Gobber and his father knew each other since kindergarten. And he wasn't sure if Gobber wanted to go behind his best friend's back.

"Aye. I donnae want ye tae lose yer dream because of that thick-skulled muttonhead," Gobber answered. Hiccup rolled his eyes, smiling. That two always found a way to insult each other in the old Viking way.

Gobber patted Hiccup's back. "What I'm sayin', laddie. It's that I'll teach ya, even if we'll go behind yer father's back."

Hiccup hugged Gobber tightly. "I can't express how grateful I'm am, Gobber. Thank you… for everything."

"Yer welcome, laddie. Yer welcome," said Gobber hugging him back.

 **So that's it. I hope you liked this chapter. Please tell me what you think and until next time :)**


	13. Chapter 13: The Girl Talk

**Hey guys! How are you doing? Sorry, I'm updating late, but this week was a very busy one. Anyways, I've noticed that I was focusing on Hiccup a much and I almost haven't written anything about the gang. So, I wrote this chapter.**

 **Chapter 13: The Girl Talk**

Astrid was standing on the runway and watching at her timer. It was around 12:00 am, and they were training for the Championship. Every year the race was passing on one of the islands of Archipelago. Last year it had passed in Bog and this year the Championship would be passing in Berk, at Berk's Light-Sport Aircraft Manufacturer. And because of that, the air gates had been already placed.

The rules were the same as the last year. Pilots had to complete the 5-6-kilometer-long track and fly between the Air Gates. If you did something wrong, then there were being seconds added to your race time.

There were three types of gates, and each of them required a specific type of crossing. Double cone gates must be crossed in a level flight. Single cone gates- in a 90 angle. And then you needed to pass flagged cones zigzagging.

Astrid looked up. Snotlout had already successfully passed the half of the track. She saw how he flew through a double cone gate and then turned vertical, passing the single cone gate. It only stayed the flagged ones.

Astrid looked back at the timer. Snotlout wasn't doing bad, if he would continue like this he could even beat his own record. She looked back at the red plane. Suddenly, she noticed that its speed was increasing.

"Snotlout, what are you doing?" Astrid asked through walkie-talkie which was connected to Snotlout's helmet.

"Flying," came Snotlout's reply. Astrid groaned.

"I know that you're flying. I mean why have you increased your speed? You can't pass the flagged cones at that speed," she said. Only the most skilled pilots could do that, and there were times that even for them it was impossible.

"Are you scared that I'll beat you? Hah! Don't worry, babe. I'll pass this and you'll be amazed by my skills," said Snotlout and hanged up.

Astrid grunted, frustrated. Why he couldn't understand that he can't do that!? He could crush, for Thor's sake! This is will not end well.

Twins came and stood beside the blonde. They were wearing similar green pilot jackets, yellow shirts, khaki green combat pants, and boots. They were holding their yellow-green pilot helmets.

"I bet he'll hit a cone from a minute," said Tuff looking at Snotlout, who was already approaching the first cone.

"I bet he'll hit a cone from thirty seconds," said Ruff, who was looking at Snotlout too. They spat on their hands and clasped them together, sealing their bet.

Astrid didn't pay attention to the muttonheads beside her and continued to look at the plane, anxiously. He passed the first two cones successfully. Astrid already began getting suspicions, 'Could he really do that?'. All her suspicions disappeared, when Snotlout being not able to turn the plane in time, hit the cone, and it began to deflate.

"I win!" Ruffnut exclaimed jumping. She extended her hand to Tuffnut. The male twin groaned, took ten dollars from his pocket and handed to his sister.

Astrid facepalmed and then, heard a shuffling from her walkie-talkie.

"I think Uncle Stoick will not mind," was heard Snotlout's voice. She resisted an urge to facepalm again.

After some time, they saw a red Sukhoi Su-29 landing in front of them. From the plane got out a stocky young man. He was wearing a red pilot jacket, yellow shirt, red jeans, and boots. On his head was a red-yellow pilot helmet.

Astrid stomped toward him-clearly furious.

"What were you thinking!?" she yelled. Snotlout took his helmet off and looked at Astrid.

"I know, babe. You were worried about me…," seeing Astrid's glare he decided not to push. "But I thought I could handle it."

"Then you need to think more next time!" Astrid snapped. "You could've crashed and died! Don't let your selfishness get over you!"

And with that, she turned and stomped back.

"Okay, now it's our time!" After some silence, exclaimed Tuff, noticing the tension.

"Yeah! Let's show 'em what we can do!" Ruffnut said and high fived her twin.

They went to the plane and sat on the pilot seats. They drove to the start line and waited for Astrid's command.

"Okay, guys. Ready! One…Two…Three!"

The plane began driving and then it raised into the air. Astrid had a feeling that this will not end well too. It was the twins! What could possibly end well?

Everything was going fine. Twins had passed the first gates perfectly. They were flying like a one person. In front of them came a single cone, and that's where everything went wrong.

"Turn right!" yelled Ruff, pushing her stick to the right.

"No! We'll turn left!" Tuff yelled back, pushing his stick to the left.

"Right!"

"Left!"

They began arguing. Because of that, the plane became unstable. It was turning to the right, and then to the left.

"Guys! It's one plane! Decide quickly, or you'll crash!" Astrid yelled, frustrated. Despite what she said, twins didn't want to concede. And they ended up crushing at the cone.

When they landed, they got out of the plane and continued arguing.

"It was your fault!" yelled Ruff, taking her helmet off.

"No! It was yours!" Tuff yelled.

"Yours!"

"NO! YOURS!"

Astrid sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. This day couldn't get any better.

* * *

"So, how was your day?" asked Heather when Astrid came and slumped on the seat in front of her. It was somewhere near 2:00 am and today their job was over. At least- Astrid's was. Heather still had a few things to do in the city.

They were in their favorite café- 'Nadder's place'. It was in the center of the city and it wasn't overcrowded as the other ones. It was a good place to just slump on one of the sofa's and relax, but also it was a good place to have business meetings.

It was decorated in blue and yellow. The music there was always good. And the most important, they were serving the best sweets in whole Berk!

"Ugh," came Astrid's response. She was exhausted from all the training. And Snotlout and the twins gave her a headache.

"I see not very good," answered the raven-haired girl. Astrid and Heather were best friends since the middle school. In 7th grade, Heather moved to Berk from Berserk, and after talking with each other they had found a lot of things in common and became good friends. "Let me guess. Twins and Snotlout?"

Astrid nodded and then sitting more straight said. "Those muttonheads will get themselves killed one day."

"Well what else you expected from them? After all, they're twins and Snotlout."

There were times when Astrid wondered how in the Midgard she became friends with them. She remembered that day-her first day in Berk's Aviation College- as clear as it was yesterday…

* * *

 _No turning back._ Astrid entered the Berk's Aviation College. This was where she would be spending her next six years. Many students who were coming here, were planning on joining the Air Force. Astrid didn't know if she would join it too, she was hesitating. She couldn't kill people in cold blood, even if they were enemy.

She had already put her things in her dorm. She hadn't met her roommate. Astrid was hoping that she would get along with her, and her roommate would not get scared seeing the axe.

Now she was going to her first class. Astrid thought that they would be learning the basics of flying or maybe about the planes.

When she entered, she looked around. There were not many people- eight, to be precise. There was only one girl. She had blonde hair, which was braided in three thick braids. Beside her was sitting a male with long blonde dreadlocks. They were looking the same. Astrid guessed they were twins.

Beside the male twin was sitting a stocky, black-haired young man. His facial expression was saying only one thing-arrogant. There were other men in the room, who were around 18-19.

Astrid noticed an empty seat in the third row and went to sit there. After some time, the teacher entered the classroom. He was looking around his late-thirties. He was wearing a brown pilot jacket, cream pants, and boots.

"I'm Mr. Wilson," said the teacher. "And I'm gonna be your teacher for this year."

He put his hands behind his back and began walking in the room, watching each student carefully.

"Besides studying my class, you also will be learning aeronautics engineering. Of course, it will not be very detailed, but you need to know how your plane works. You'll be learning first aid, physics, math, a foreign language…"

There were heard many groans from students. They weren't very pleased that they would be learning physics, math and some other scientific subjects. Mr. Wilson silenced them with a glare. Astrid, honestly, didn't care. She wasn't bad at physics and math, and she didn't hate them.

"Okay, let's begin the class," said Mr. Wilson clasping his hands together. "Since it's your first class, we'll be learning the basics of the flying."

He went to the desk and continued. "The first thing you need to do is-" He was interrupted when a bunch of little planes entered the classroom. A chaos broke when the planes began dropping confetti, candies and little balloons.

Astrid was just standing there dumbfounded, not understanding what was happening.

"YOU TWO MUTTONHEADS!" she heard the stocky young man yell, angrily. She went to him.

"Hey! Do you know what's happening!?" she yelled at him. The man turned around.

"Yes, I do, babe," the man answered winking at her, a cocky smirk on his face. She shot him a glare, wanting to make him understand that she is not interested. The man clearly didn't get it.

"It's the Thorston twins," he said gesturing to the twins, whom she saw earlier. "They're total muttonheads, not like me."

Astrid rolled her eyes. Suddenly, a little plane flew above his head and dropped confetti on him.

"MY HAIR!" the black-haired man yelled and began stomping towards the blonde twins. Astrid followed him.

"Oh, hey Snot," said the male twin, a controller in his hands. "I hope you're enjoying our first-day prank!"

"Yeah! People will be talking about this for eternity!" continued the girl.

"You ruined my hair! Do you know how much time it takes me to do them!?" the stocky man yelled. Astrid rolled her eyes at that. It seemed that some boys cared about their hair more than girls. The female twin noticed her.

"Hey, I'm Rachel," she said extending her hand. "And the guy with the controller beside me is my twin brother-Thomas. But we prefer being called Ruffnut and Tuffnut."

Astrid shook her hand. "I'm Astrid."

"Why she would want to know you if she could have all of this?" the stocky man said gesturing to himself. "I'm Scott, but for you, I can be Snotlout."

Well, he clearly didn't get the message. Maybe if glaring didn't help, a bit of _communication_ will. She went to him and punched him on the gut. "Stop flirting with me! I'm not interested in you!"

After the disastrous first class, Astrid went to her dorm. She was hoping that at least her roommate will be normal. When she entered the dorm, she froze.

There was Rachel or as she called herself-Ruffnut, sitting on the bed and touching her axe. She hated when people did that!

"You're my roommate," she said disbelievingly. Ruffnut turned to her and beamed.

"We are roomies! That's awesome!" she exclaimed and then looked at the axe. "So this is yours? It's soo sharp! Me likey!"

Astrid sighed. This was gonna be _looong_ six years.

* * *

Astrid leaned back on her seat. After some silence, Heather remembering something smirked.

"But you were enjoying spending time with someone else," she said, her smirk growing wider.

"Huh?" Astrid asked, confused. She didn't know about what Heather was talking.

"So, you and Hiccup, huh?"

Astrid's eyes shot wide. "What!? No!" Sure, she and Hiccup were good friends. And she enjoyed spending time with him, but they weren't a thing. But besides that, they went on a date, kind of. And she had kissed him on the cheek when he had walked her home. _Ah! This is so confusing!_

Heather laughed at Astrid's reaction. She began watching how her expression was changing when she was pondering about what the raven-haired girl said.

After some thinking, Astrid had a thought. _How did Heather know that she was spending time with Hiccup?_ And more importantly _How she knew Hiccup?_

"Wait. How do you know Hiccup?"

Heather gave her an are-you-serious look. "I'm working in the company. And don't you think that I'll know the CEO's son and our best engineer?"

"Oh." Astrid hadn't thought about that. And also, Heather knew his nickname, and Hiccup said that his friends and relatives called him like that.

"We're just friends," she declared crossing her arms and leaning back on her seat. She wasn't sure if what she said was true. Did she and Hiccup were more than friends? Did she have feelings for him? She didn't know.

"Uh-huh," Heather said disbelievingly. "Astrid, life is too short. You need to express your feelings."

Saying that Heather looked at her watch and stood up. "Okay. I have to go. See ya later."

"See you later," Astrid mumbled still in her thoughts.

* * *

When she was going home, she was still deep in thoughts. She couldn't forget what Heather said her at the café. Her words still were ringing in her ears. _Astrid, life is too short. You need to express your feelings._ Right now, Astrid didn't know how she felt. She entered the house and was greeted by Stormfly.

"Hey, girl," Astrid greeted her dog, scratching her under the chin. "How was your day?"

Stormfly barked and wagged her tail, happy to see Astrid. The blonde went upstairs, to her room. The room was painted baby blue. In the middle of the room was her bed. On the wall were hanging her certificates, diplomas, and on the shelve were the trophies. In the corner was standing her trustworthy axe.

Astrid changed into her training clothes and took the axe. She needed to clear her head. And there was nothing better than throwing an axe at some trees. She went downstairs.

"Stormfly I'm going to train a bit. Wanna come with me?" she asked. Stormfly barked and followed her outside the house. Not far from it the forest started. Astrid had some good training spots there.

She began her hike, Stormfly following behind. She didn't need to put a leash on her since there were no people around.

When they arrived, Astrid began her training. Every time when she threw her axe a question flooded her mind.

 _Were she and Hiccup more than friends?_

Thump.

 _If yes, then what they were?_

Thump.

 _Did Hiccup like her?_

Thump.

 _Did she have feelings for him?_

Astrid began throwing her axe more fiercely.

 _Did she have feelings for him?_ THUMP. _Did she have feelings for him?_ THUMP. She threw her axe at the tree in front of her. Then quickly retrieved it and turning threw it at another tree. She continued doing that till she couldn't feel her hands.

Astrid leaned on the tree and slid down. She put her axe beside her and closed her eyes. The first thing that she saw was-Hiccup. His green eyes, that were green as forest. His messy auburn hair, that was untamable. His dorky smile. His habit of rubbing the back of his neck when he was nervous. Astrid smiled at that. She finally came to conclusion…

…she did have feelings for Hiccup Haddock.

 **So that's it! This chapter wasn't as long as the other ones, but I hope you still enjoyed reading it. Please tell me what you think. Have a nice day and until next time :)**


	14. Chapter 14: The First Flight

**Hey guys! How're ya doing? This chapter really took me long to write. These past weeks were crazy and I barely had any free time. I know how bad is waiting for the new chapter for weeks. So, please, forgive me. Okay so, now the reviews!**

 **Dynonutt96:** I'm so happy that this is your favorite fanfic :D

 **Mariah:** That would be hilarious! I don't know where I can put that scene or if I can find a place to put it. I don't want to give any spoilers about the future chapters now :)

 **Hiccstrid105:** Everyone knows that! Well, except Astrid and Hiccup :'D

 **And for everyone else who reviewed. Thank you very much! I'm happy that you like this story!**

 **Chapter 14: The First Lesson**

Beep. Beep. Beep.

Hiccup blinked his eyes open. The rays of the sun were filling the room. He turned the alarm off and slumped back on his bed. Yesterday's events flashed in front of his eyes. A smile tugged the corners of his lips. Flying was amazing!

There, in the air, he forgot about all of his worries- it didn't matter who he was, he wasn't worried about his dad finding out his secret, or about his feelings for Astrid. He was feeling… free.

And now he was going to feel all of that again. But this time he wouldn't be a passenger. He would be the one guiding the plane through the skies, all by _himself_. He wanted to see Berk from the sky again, soar in the clouds, and watch the sunset.

The young engineer sighed happily. He couldn't express how grateful he was that Gobber decided to teach him. To be honest, he didn't think he could have learned to fly watching videos on the internet. But he was too stubborn to admit that.

Hiccup sat up, stretched and began getting ready for work.

* * *

The auburn-haired man couldn't wipe the smile off his face. When he entered the building, people were giving him weird looks. It wasn't normal to be smiling out of nowhere and on Monday no less.

"Hey, Fish," he greeted cheerfully when he entered the room. Fishlegs eyed him weirdly and then said.

"What happened? Why are you so happy?"

Hiccup shrugged. "Can't I just be happy?"

Fishlegs looked at him skeptically. "First of all, you're not a morning person. And secondly, it's Monday. As much as you love your job, you still hate Mondays."

Hiccup took off his backpack and sat on the chair. He couldn't argue with Fishlegs. He wasn't a morning person and he hated Mondays. Seriously, who in the Midgard loved Mondays?

However, there was no way he would tell Fishlegs about the plane. The blonde man was his best friend but he was awful at keeping secrets.

"I'm just happy, that's all."

Fishlegs eyed him for some time. He knew that Hiccup was lying. The husky man smirked.

"You weren't this happy since that date with Astrid," he said casually, turning back to his computer and continuing his work.

"Yeah," Hiccup said a love-struck expression on his face and then stopped. "Wait! How did you know about it!?" He didn't remember telling Fishlegs about it! How did he find out!?

Fishlegs laughed at his friend's reaction when Hiccup was still watching him baffled.

"I saw you when we were walking in the park with Meatlug," he said and after some time, added. "I think you were enjoying yourselves."

Hiccup glared at him. "We were just having a picnic when Toothless and Stormfly were playing. That's all."

"I don't think so," Fishlegs answered nonchalantly. He would not let Hiccup get away with this.

"I think my dad will be _overjoyed_ knowing that you're slacking because you decided to discuss my love life," he answered. He didn't like using his dad for getting what he wanted, but now he really wanted to drop the subject. Actually, this time, Hiccup didn't even know if he was using sarcasm. His dad was very interested in his love life and was urging him to find a girl since he was seventeen.

Fishlegs just raised his hands in surrender and continued to work.

* * *

It was the lunchtime. Fishlegs had already gone to the cafeteria. A lot of work had piled up since Hiccup was working on his plane, so he had to finish one of his projects before going for a lunch.

When he entered cafeteria he was surprised to see Fishlegs and Astrid sitting together and talking like old friends. He smiled at the sight and went to them. He was happy that two of his good friends were getting along.

Many would have felt jealous in this situation, but not him. He trusted Fishlegs and besides he had eyes for another girl (but of course he would not admit that).

"Hey, Hiccup!" Astrid said waving at him and he waved back. Hearing her Fishlegs stopped talking and turned around.

"I see you're finally done," the husky man said. "One of these days, you're gonna overwork yourself."

"Nah, I don't think I will," Hiccup answered sitting at the table. Fishlegs rolled his eyes.

Hiccup remembered shy and self-conscious Fishlegs from the High school. He had been a husky boy, who had preferred spending his most time in the library. Well, not many things changed. He's still nerdy and shy, but he had busted some confidence. He wasn't shy to talk to other people and loved making new friends. And sometimes, the husky man even teased him!

Hiccup actually liked this Fishlegs more. He was snapped out of his thoughts when his friend nudged him.

"Hey, Astrid," he greeted. When he saw her, he just couldn't look away. Even in her pilot suit and usual braid, she was looking gorgeous. Since a few days ago he discovered about his feelings, everything that Astrid did was looking beautiful and graceful for him.

When Hiccup acknowledged that he was staring, he awkwardly cleared his throat. "So, um, how's your training?" he asked trying to hide his embarrassment.

"Well, we all are training hard. Today guys decided to take a day off. But I'm still training, cuz I need to do my best," she answered. Heather was saying that she was pushing herself too much. But she was determined to win this championship, and she would do everything for that to come true.

"Don't worry. You're one of the best pilots in the whole Archipelago! You're talented, smart, brave, and determined! I'm sure you can pull this off," he said enthusiastically. Astrid felt her cheeks heating up. Hiccup also realizing what he had just said blushed furiously. But he didn't want to take his words back. He meant everything he had said.

"Thanks," Astrid said blush still present on her cheeks. Fishlegs was just watching their interaction with amusement. It was obvious for everyone that they both had feelings for each other. Well, but it wasn't obvious for _them_.

"So, um, how're your projects," Astrid asked in order to kill the tension.

"Oh, they're great!" Hiccup beamed. "I began working on this new project-" he began talking about his new project, but Astrid wasn't listening. Instead, she was looking at him. How he was throwing his hands enthusiastically, or the gleam in his eyes when he was talking about something he loved. When he was shrugging his shoulders, Astrid wondered if he knew that he was doing that. His crooked smile, or when he-

"Astrid, are you listening?"

"Yeah, yeah, of course," she answered. Well, she wasn't listening. She was too deep in her thoughts to listen, but of course, she would not tell that to Hiccup.

"Um, we have to go," said Fishlegs looking at his watch. "The break almost is over."

"Oh, in that case. See you later, Astrid," Hiccup said standing up.

"See you later."

* * *

When Hiccup's work was over he headed straight to Gobber's. He was eager to sit on his plane again! Yesterday, when they were done with the testing, they left the plane in one of the hangars. Hiccup was hesitant, fearing that it may be stolen. But Gobber assured him that no one even remembered that place and it was safe. The mechanic also put a big lock on the hangar, just in case.

When Hiccup arrived, he saw Gobber waiting outside.

"Hey, Gobber," Hiccup greeted when his mentor entered the car.

"Good evening, laddie," the blonde man greeted back and closed the car door. Hiccup began driving.

"Eager, aren't we?" Gobber asked, seeing the auburn-haired man tapping his foot. Hiccup was truly eager to fly the plane. But it wasn't the reason he was tapping his foot. He was just nervous, very nervous.

"Yeah," he answered with a small smile.

Gobber laughed noticing his nervousness. "Ah, don't worry, laddie! I know it was yer dream since ye were little! Everything will be fine!"

"I hope so."

After some time, they arrived. Hiccup went to the hangar and opened it. The plane was there, unharmed. He got into the aircraft, and Gobber followed him.

"Hey Ally," Hiccup greeted and the monitor lighted up.

"Good evening, sir," the AI answered as the program started. On the screen began appearing random information about the plane.

"Ally, can you do the pre-flight checks?" Hiccup asked fastening his seatbelt.

"Ah, laddie, I donnae think it's a good idea," Gobber interrupted from the behind.

"Why?"

"Well, what yer gonna do if there'll be problems with tae program and it'll da tae checks wrong? We'll crush!" he wanted to continue but Hiccup interrupted him.

"Gobber, when I was making Ally, I did tests. She passed 121 tests and there were no problems. So don't worry."

"Then what will ya do, if you'll fly another plane, which hasn't that program of yer's? How yer gonna do tae checks?" Gobber tried to reason.

"I have been working with aircraft of my life. I think I'll be able to do them," Hiccup answered. He was working on aircraft since he was a child! He was sure he could do some checks! He was even offended that Gobber thought about that.

"Then be it yer way," Gobber muttered, clearly not pleased.

"Everything is working right, sir. We're ready to take off," Ally informed.

"Okay, laddie. Now ya need tae adjust the flaps to tae proper angle fer takeoff. 10 degrees will da great." Hiccup placed his feet on the pedals and did as he was told.

"Great. Now, push tae fuel mixture knob completely in and advance tae throttle slowly." Hiccup did that and saw on the screen that the engine's RPMs (revolutions per minute) increased. The aircraft began moving.

The plane turned to left, so Hiccup pushed the right pedal. The aircraft drastically turned to the right.

"Careful. Ya need to do that gently," Gobber said quickly, noticing that Hiccup wanted to panic. The auburn-haired man calmed down and slowly pushed the left pedal and the plane straightened. After some zigzagging, Hiccup was finally able to turn to the runway.

"Good job! Now ya need tae gain speed. I think 60 knots will be okay. When ye'll notice the nose lifting off the ground, gently pull tae stick back," the old pilot instructed.

"Wait!" Hiccup began panicking. Sure, he was ready to drive on the ground. But in the air!? He wasn't ready! "Aren't you gonna teach me first!?"

"I believe in learning on tae job!" the mechanic answered cheerfully. Hiccup gulped but still did as he was told. The aircraft began gaining speed. It was nearing the 60 knots.

The nose of the plane began lifting.

"When I'll say, pull tae stick back. Remember, when tae plane will be maintaining climb speed, apply proper rudder, or we'll crash." Hiccup was panicking. The sweat dripped from his face. He needed to focus! He could do this!

"Now!" cried Gobber. "Pull tae stick!"

Hiccup pulled the stick and the plane began raising. All the time Hiccup was carefully applying the rudder.

Gobber noticed that they were already at a safe height above the ground and they had a positive rate of climb. So he instructed. "Return the flaps tae neutral position, laddie."

Hiccup followed the instructions. The plane was airborne.

"Good job, Hiccup!" The old pilot exclaimed happily. "Ya did it!"

Hiccup couldn't believe it. He was able to take off and they were still alive!

"I did this…," he said disbelievingly. "Yes, I did it!"

He threw his hands up in the air in happiness. Suddenly, the plane jolted right. He had accidentally hit the pedal.

"Don't get too excited, lad. Now, pay attention tae artificial horizon and attitude indicator. Ya need tae keep the plane level. If ya'll fall below it, raise tae nose. Remember, be gentle," Gobber said.

Following Gobber's instructions Hiccup also learned how to turn and now was guiding the plane through the skies. He was still nervous and was trying to not zone out. Every few seconds he was glancing at the flight instruments, fearing that something will go wrong.

After flying for twenty minutes, he relaxed a bit. He allowed himself to peek a glance outside the cockpit. The feeling from yesterday returned. Hiccup was gazing at Berk with awe. Of course, he already had seen this, but the sight still amazed him. He thought that he would never get tired of this.

The young man saw the park, his home, the plaza, and the other buildings. It was interesting, did the-

The plane suddenly jerked left and Hiccup fell on his arm. The screen became red and began beeping. That meant only one thing-something went wrong.

"We hit a turbulence. The plane lost control, we're falling," was heard Ally's voice. If they weren't in this situation, he would have done a sarcastic remark. But now he was too terrified.

"Oh my Thor! We're going to crush! We're going to crush!" he yelled. All the calmness was now replaced by pure terror. "It's all my fault. It's all my fault! I should've never taken my eyes from that screen! We're going to crush! And it's all my fault!"

The plane was spiraling down, and Hiccup was hyperventilating, which wasn't helping the situation.

"We're away from the ground 1km. Your heart rate had increased, you need to calm down and handle the situation, or else you'll die. In this cases, medics suggest to take deep breaths," informed Ally. Hiccup had decided to wear his jacket and the gloves, just in case. That's how Ally knew his heart rate.

"This time I agree with her!" Gobber yelled returning to his senses. "Ya need tae calm down!"

Hiccup was taking deep breaths and it had helped. He began nodding his head indicating that he was listening.

"700 meters," the program said.

"Now, ya need tae hold tae stick," Gobber tried to say calmly, but his voice broke a little. He couldn't let the lad know that he was panicking too. The spinning, red lights, beeping, and program's countdown wasn't helping.

"600 meters."

"Turn tae flaps tae 30 degrees."

"Isn't it too much!?" Hiccup yelled panicking.

"500 meters."

"DO AS I TOLD YA!" Gobber couldn't hold his calm demeanor anymore. They were going to crush elsewhere!

"400 meters."

Hiccup did as he was told. His hands were trembling, and he couldn't do anything faster.

"300 meters."

"Pull tae stick back! As much as ye can! Pull it back!" Gobber yelled.

"200 meters."

Hiccup held the stick firmly and pulled it back with as much force as he could. The plane quickly went up and Hiccup fell back on his seat. When they were on a safe altitude he leveled the plane. He was doing all that on automat, not realizing his actions. He was still shaken.

Gobber was the first one to recover from the shock.

"We're alive! Laddie, ya did it! Ya did it! There was a moment I thought we're gonna crash!" he exclaimed happily. He was very proud of the lad.

"Wow, I'm overjoyed that you have _so_ much faith in me," Hiccup answered sarcasm oozing from his words. Gobber laughed.

"Ah, I see yer sarcasm returned. Ya'll be fine."

Hiccup sighed and leaned back on his seat, still checking the flight instruments with the corner of his eye. He had just realized that they were going to crush, because of him. He should've been attentive and should have never taken his eyes from the screen. And then, when they were falling, he began panicking instead of taking the plane under the control. He should never let that happen again.

"I think it's time fer us tae land," Gobber's voice interrupted his thoughts.

"Yeah, you're right."

He flew around the runway five times, and then he was finally able to be in the right position. He reduced the airspeed and lowered the flaps.

"Now, the hardest part begins." Gobber's comment didn't help at all. He knew that the landing was the hardest part, but it would be great to hear some encouragement.

"Lower the nose and watch tae numbers on the runway," the old pilot instructed. There was a problem.

"Um, Gobber. I can't see the numbers." The plane's lights were on, but he couldn't see any numbers. Probably, since the paint wasn't freshened, the numbers erased.

"Well, that could be a problem. But donnae worry, we'll manage," Gobber said trying to think a way of helping Hiccup to land. The old pilot could've landed without the numbers. After all, he was a professional pilot. But it would be extremely hard for Hiccup-the person, who was flying a plane for the first time in his life!

"Sir, I can help you to land without numbers," said Ally.

"Laddie-" Gobber began but was interrupted.

"Gobber, now it's not the time for your protests. We need to use every help we can get," Hiccup said. "Okay, Ally. Help me to land this plane."

"The landing is long. Lower the nose of the aircraft" was heard Ally's monotonic voice. Hiccup lowered the nose. "The landing is short. Raise the nose of the aircraft."

Hiccup continued following Ally's instructions, perfecting his angle, and the plane neared the ground.

"Now, laddie, raise the nose slowly, pulling back tae stick," Gobber said. He did that, and after some time, the wheels touched the ground. The landing was a bit bumpy but it was normal for the first time. After driving for some time, Hiccup pushed the breaks and the plane came to a stop.

"Well, I admit it. That program isn't completely useless," Gobber muttered. Hiccup turned to him with a smirk on his face. The old pilot rolled his eyes and got out of the plane. The auburn-haired man followed him.

Gobber was nervous. He feared that Hiccup would never want to fly a plane again. His first flight wasn't the best exactly. He knew the lad was stubborn. But having a near death experience could change his mind. He should've been more careful. He should've taught him first. Now the lad's dream would be crashed.

"So, uhm, laddie," he began scratching his chin with the prosthetic. "I'm sorry, I should've taught ya first. I'll understand if ya'll never want tae sit in a plane again."

Hiccup's head snapped towards Gobber, his eyes widening.

"What!? No! Gobber it's my dream! It was my dream since the first time I saw a plane! I want to be a pilot! Well, almost dying at your first flight, wasn't what I expected. But that will not stop me!" Hiccup exclaimed, throwing his hands wildly in the air.

Gobber smiled proudly. Many would've broken after that type of an incident. But not Hiccup. The lad was stubborn as his parents. The old pilot patted the young man's back, affectionately.

"C'mon, laddie. It's already late. Ya need to get rest since tomorrow we're gonna fly again."

Hiccup smiled and got back into the plane, guiding it to the hangar.

 **The end of the chapter. I can say that we'll meet the Night Fury soon…**


	15. Chapter 15: Aerobatics

**Hi! How are you? Happy Holidays! I haven't updated for a month and I'm sorry. December was hectic with all the finals, then came holidays and I was having a writer's block. But I have good news for you! In the next chapter Night Fury appears! Finally! I was waiting for this as much as you did.**

 **In addition, I changed the cover. The art is by JustinWharton.**

 **Chapter 15: Aerobatics**

"Where are we going?"

When Hiccup went to Gobber's after the work-as he was doing already two weeks, the old pilot got into the car and declared that today they will be going somewhere else. He was giving the directions already 10 minutes.

"Turn right."

"Gobber, can you at least tell me where are we going?" Hiccup asked. He was getting frustrated.

"We're gonna be there soon," he said continuing to watch the road. "And now turn to the left."

"The amusement park?" Okay, now he was completely confused. In front of him was the Berk's amusement park. What were they doing here? Hiccup parked the car and before he could ask, Gobber got out.

"Okay, laddie. I'll go buy tae tickets," said the mechanic and hobbled to the ticket booth, still not explaining anything.

Hiccup looked around. He had been here just a few times when he was a kid. Everything was shining with colorful lights. There were booths with cotton candy, soda, and toys. The kids' happy laugh was heard everywhere. Maybe it wouldn't be bad to have some fun.

The auburn-haired man heard footsteps and turned seeing Gobber approaching him, with a hand full of tickets.

"Okay, I got 'em. Let's go."

"Can you tell me what we are doing here?" he asked walking after Gobber, who had already begun heading towards the attractions.

"Before learning ta da aerobatics, we need tae train yer stomach," he answered continuing to walk.

"My stomach?" Hiccup asked raising his brow. How was he going to train his stomach?

"Ya'll see." Was only thing Gobber said before he stopped in front of a big round attraction. It was light brown and had dark colored bumps on it. It was a gravity ride.

"Okay, tae first attraction- 'Gronckle'," Gobber said handing the ticket to the ticketman and pushing Hiccup inside.

The auburn-haired man went to one of the padded panels and stood there, tightly gripping the bars. The ride started. It was spinning so fast, that Hiccup felt pinned on the wall. It continued to spin and began raising. It span a little more and began slowing down. The ride was over and Hiccup got out. His head was spinning but otherwise, he was okay.

Gobber began pushing him to the next attraction- 'Nadder'. Hiccup saw a gondola carrying riders raising to the top of a tower and then free falling. The people were screaming-some in joy and some in terror.

Well, at least this one wasn't spinning. He gave the ticket to ticketman and went to the attraction. He sat on one of the seats and fastened his seatbelt. When more people came, the attraction started. The gondola began raising. The sight from there was beautiful. Not as beautiful as the one from the plane, but still beautiful.

The gondola was on the top of the tower. It stayed there for a few seconds, allowing the riders to enjoy the view and then it began falling. Hiccup felt his stomach drop. But after a second the feeling was replaced by adrenalin rushing through his veins. Hiccup wanted to yell, and he did.

The gondola raised and fell a few more times, before stopping. Hiccup got out of his seat feeling joyful. It was great!

"So how was it, lad?" Gobber asked seeing his happy face.

"It was cool!" he said sounding like a little kid.

Gobber chuckled. "C'mon let's go tae the next one."

The next one was 'Nightmare'. In front of Hiccup was a huge roller coaster with many steep slopes and inversions. Gobber said that this one was good for hammerheads and spins. Hiccup sat in one of the carts and got out from there feeling dizzy.

Gobber didn't let him catch his breath and took him to the next one. Hiccup's eyes widened. A swing ride. He would free fall and sat on roller coasters million times, but not a swing ride. He always was feeling nauseous even after a simple swing in the park and now Gobber wanted him to sit in a huge, fast one!

"Uhm, I think it's already late we should be goin-," Hiccup started but Gobber interrupted him taking him from the back of his shirt and pushing forward.

"Uh-huh, laddie. Ya need tae get used tae spinning."

Hiccup sighed, handed the ticket to the ticketman, and got into 'Zippleback'. When the attraction was over, he was barely standing on his feet. His head was spinning and it was as if he was going to throw out every second.

"Toughen up, lad. This is tae last one," Gobber said indicating to 'Quaken'. Hiccup felt his heart drop. A pendulum ride. The gods hated him. It was even worse than swings! It was like taking a swing and adding a spinning gondola to it!

"Odin help me," he muttered.

Well, in short, Hiccup's experience ended with him throwing up in a trash can.

"Ya'll get used tae it," he heard Gobber say as he continued to vomit.

* * *

Astrid leveled the plane and took her foot off the pedal. Quickly taking a firm hold on the stick, she pulled it right. Ailerons turned and the plane began rolling. The pilot slowly pulled the stick back and the plane went to a rolling loop.

A smile tugged the blonde's lips. She loved a good session of flying.

Astrid returned the plane to the horizontal position. It flew through the skies for some time. The pilot pointed the nose to the skies and the plane began rising. It was rising higher and higher and at one point it stopped.

The blonde quickly changed the rudder's position and the plane turning 180 degrees, began plummeting down. Astrid was in euphoria. This, this was the only time when she was feeling truly happy. Soaring through the skies, adrenalin rushing in her veins.

She did a few hammerheads and began nearing the ground. The wheels touched the runway and the plane came to stop.

"Good training," Astrid heard Heather's voice in her helmet. "Astrid, you're doing great. You need to get some rest. Maybe you can go to the mall or something."

"Heather, you know I hate malls! Instead of going to the shops, I need to train as hard as I can. Berk hadn't won this championship for 23 years and I'm determined to bring the cup home!"

Astrid heard Heather sigh on the other side. She knew that his friend disagreed with her but she couldn't spend her time on stupid things like shopping. The blonde shut the engine and get out of the plane. She would do everything to win. She is a Hofferson! And Hoffersons never backed from a challenge!

* * *

"Son, we need to talk," Stoick said as Hiccup entered his office. The young man nervously came and sat on the chair in front of his father. He didn't know why he called him. His father looked serious. Did he find out about the plane? No, he couldn't have. Only Gobber knew, and he would surely not tell him.

Then maybe something was wrong with the work? But his father was quite happy with the work he'd done. Maybe-

Stoick shifted in his seat and clearing his throat said. "You've been keeping secrets."

Hiccup's heart stopped. _Okay, calm down, calm down! Deep breaths. In and out, in and out. Maybe he was talking about something else. J-just act natural._

"I… have?"

"Just how long did you think you could hide it from me?" Stoick continued raising from his seat.

"I don't know what you're…"

"Nothing happens in this company without me hearing about it." Hiccup felt sweat dripping from his face.

"Oh?" was the only thing he could muster.

"So. Let's talk about that plane," Stoick said sitting back on his seat.

Hiccup's heart stopped and his eyes widened. His father did find out. "Oh, gods. Dad, I'm so sorry. I was going to tell you. I just didn't know how to-" He stopped hearing his father's booming laugh.

"You're not… upset?" Hiccup asked raising his brow.

"What!? I was hoping for this!" he looked at his father with wide eyes.

"Uh… you were?"

"You're the best engineer in the company! And believe me, it only gets better! Just wait till you'll design your own plane! Then we'll begin producing it! After that, you'll take on with the company! We'll finally have something to talk about!"

Hiccup was just staring at his father with blank expression So, he didn't find out? This was just another talk about his bright future.

"Thanks…dad…" _He didn't find out._ It was the only thing spinning in Hiccup's mind. A smile began forming on his face.

"I'm proud of ya, son," Stoick said. He always knew that his son would be a great man.

There was a silence, and they both were smiling. Hiccup happy that his dad didn't find out and Stoick that his son was doing great things.

"So, um, dad, I've work to do," Hiccup began saying awkwardly hoping his father would understand.

"Oh! Yes, yes, of course! Go, I'll not keep you anymore," he said standing up. Hiccup exited the room and then leaning on the door sighed. There was a moment that he thought everything was over, but it wasn't. He still had a chance to achieve his dream.

* * *

A smile crossed Hiccup's face. He was in the air again- soaring through the skies. It had passed two weeks since the visit to the amusement park and he had learned a lot.

Hiccup could say that now he was controlling the plane better than Snotlout, who was the second best pilot in Berk. The auburn-haired man often wondered how his cousin got that title. He personally saw Snotlout crash into the trees three times and lose the control of the plane at least 10 times.

Of course, none of that came easily to him. He was training day and night. After the work, he was picking Gobber up and they were heading to the old aviation college, to train. Gobber was leaving around 10 pm and Hiccup was sneaking home past midnight.

He knew that it wasn't good for his health. He noticed that he was having bags under his eyes, was forgetting things, couldn't think properly and was often losing his concentration. Every time he was promising himself to go home earlier but every time when he raised to the skies, he was forgetting everything.

Hiccup could already do the most of aerobatics- rolls, loops, hammerheads, spins. Well, he needed to work on the spins.

The pilot took a glance at the flight instruments and taking a firm hold on the stick, began rolling the plane. The plane rolled and the nose began raising. Hiccup stopped the rolling and began doing a loop. He ended the first one and began the second. After that, the plane became vertical. It was raising and raising and the number on altimeter was increasing. At one point it stopped. Hiccup quickly changed planes position and it began plummeting down. He began doing the hammerheads.

The pilot leveled the plane. Now it was the time.

"Laddie, ya can do it. Just don't panic," he heard Gobber say in his headphones.

Hiccup held the stick, put his foot on the pedal and pushed the stick down. The plane began descending down while spinning to the left. From the side, it looked like the plane was spiraling to the ground with great speed but the falling was controllable.

Hiccup felt the sweat dripping from his forehead. He was nervous. He had tried to do a spin only two times and he had barely escaped from crashing.

The pilot noticed that he was nearing the ground. This was the hardest part. Hiccup did one more spin and pulled the stick back straightening the plane. The plane darted forward, ending the spin.

"I did it!" Hiccup exclaimed.

"Good job, laddie!" he heard Gobber say.

Hiccup turned the plane towards the highway and began landing. He shut the engine and got out of the plane. He saw Gobber approaching him.

"I'm so proud of ya, laddie," the old pilot said smiling. "I've ne'er met someone who could learn daeing spins, at tae short time!"

"Thanks."

"I 'ave something for ya," Gobber said and went to the chair where he was sitting. He returned with a black full-face helmet and handed it to Hiccup.

The young man was awestruck. It was pitch black and looked like a motorcycle helmet. He looked inside and noticed that they were dynamics and a microphone, for communicating.

"Gobber, I-I have no words. Thank you," Hiccup said staring at the helmet.

"You're welcome, laddie. Also, take this," Gobber said handing him a piece of paper. Hiccup took and looked at it. It wasn't just a piece of paper; it was a booklet.

 _ARCHIPELAGO'S AIR RACE CHAMPIONSHIP_

 _Berk's Light-Sport Aircraft Manufacturer | June 13-20 | 12 pm |_

Hiccup passed the part where it was told what was the Air Race, how it was created and other information that he already knew and began reading the last row.

 _For participation, fill the blank on_

Hiccup looked at Gobber in disbelief.

"You want me to participate?"

Gobber nodded. "Ye can do it, laddie. Ya learned flying a plane and daeing aerobatics in a month and a half! And I can say that ye're doin' great. Ye have lots of potential. And it's time fer everyone tae see that too!"

Hiccup felt inspired by the old pilot's words and nodded. He could do this. It was a big chance for him. Of course, he couldn't win. There were many experienced pilots out there. But he could understand what level his skills were and learn more by watching others.

Although there was a problem. "Gobber, I can't participate. My dad will be there and he'll recognize me. And I'll never fly again. But I don't want to stop. I love flying! No, it's better for me not to-" Hiccup began rambling but Gobber stopped him.

"I ne'er said ya to participate under yer real name," the old pilot said tapping the helmet in Hiccup's hands. He turned and began heading towards his truck.

Hiccup looked at the helmet in his hands and an idea sparked in his mind. He would take part in the Air Race.

 **So that's it. I hope you liked the chapter. I'll update as soon as I can. See you in the next chapter :)**


	16. Chapter 16: The Training Session

**Hey guys! How are you? Finally, the chapter we all were waiting for is here! Thanks for all the favs, follows and reviews. I really appreciate that. And now, without further ado, on with the chapter!**

 **Chapter 16: The Training Session**

"Hey, bud. Do you want to help me in filling the form?" Hiccup asked sitting cross-legged on his bed, the notebook in front of him. Toothless barked and hopped next to him, getting comfortable on the soft mattress.

"Okay, then, let's go." Hiccup said entering the browser. He took the booklet and looked at the address. "Archipelago-air-race dot ap," he spelled aloud, typing on his keyboard.

The site opened and Hiccup began watching trough menu. "News, Pilots, Races, About…"

He clicked on the news, hoping to find the participation form. After scrolling through few posts, he found a one labeled 'Want to participate? Click here!'. He clicked the link and the form opened.

"Name or Nickname," he said looking at Toothless. "I still have to think about this one."

He continued reading, filling the empty blanks- his country, birth date, contacts, and other information that was required. He was cautious while giving personal information. Hiccup didn't want someone finding out who he really was.

He filled the last blank and turned to his dog. "Okay, bud, it stays only the nickname." Hiccup laid on his bed and began thinking. He wanted his nickname to be something mysterious. He heard a bark and turned his head to the left, seeing Toothless sitting beside his desk. However, something other caught his attention. It was a drawing- or more precisely- a drawing of a Night Fury.

"Toothless, you're a genius!" he exclaimed and quickly sat up. He filled the last blank and pushed the 'Submit' button.

He smiled and turned back to his dog. "Now we only need to figure out my outfit."

* * *

"Getting ready for the training session?" Heather asked approaching Astrid. It was the first day of the race-the training session. The pilots were allowed to fly the track and practice any part of the racetrack they would like. Then it will be determined the starting order for Qualifying, which will take part a few days later. Today, the highest-ranking pilots would start first.

"Yeah," the blonde answered taking her helmet from the table which was stationed next to the seats for pilots. There were other tables with water bottles and snacks in case pilots wanted to have a light lunch. After all, they would be spending lots of time in the track. However, Astrid preferred not to eat before the race.

"Do you have the starting order?" she asked her friend.

Heather flipped through her notebook and finding the right page, handed it to Astrid. Astrid looked at the list. Well, nothing much changed. There were the same pilots as last year and she was starting the second, after Krogan.

Krogan was an experienced pilot. He was always looking at others as if they didn't deserve to be in the same race as him. The most of pilots disliked him. There were rumors that before the final Krogan was removing the competitors who seemed dangerous for him.

She went through the list and stopped at the last name. There was a pilot, whom she didn't recognize.

"Who's this 'Night Fury'," she asked Heather raising her brow.

"I don't know," the raven-haired girl answered. "He has never participated in the races, so I assume he's a newbie. He will not be a treat."

Astrid nodded and the girls headed to the runway where other pilots were. Some of them were doing checks on their planes, some were flying in the track and the others were just chatting with each other.

"Hey, Sis! Hey Astrid!" The girls turned and saw Derek, or as people called him Dagur- Heather's big brother, waving at them. He had short-cut carrot hair and wild green eyes. On his left eye was a claw mark tattoo and he was in his brown pilot jacket.

When Heather moved to Berk with her mother, Dagur stayed at Berserker city with his father. Nevertheless, the siblings were still keeping contact.

After graduating the high school, Heather went to Berk's university for a degree in management. Dagur went to Berserker's aviation college and now was the best pilot of Berserker city and one of the senior pilots in the Archipelago.

Dagur approached the girls and hugged his sister. After exchanging a few quick words with her, he turned to Astrid. "So, how're you? Getting ready for the race?"

"Yeah, I'm determined to win this year," she said, a smirk forming on her face.

"Oooh, show Krogan who's the best!" Dagur exclaimed wildly. It was noticeable that he didn't like the champion too.

Astrid laughed. "I still need to do checks on my plane. See you later on the track," saying that Astrid went to her plane, leaving two siblings to catch up.

She was already done with her checks when everyone's attention caught a loud whistle. Astrid looked upwards and saw a black plane approaching the runway. The wheels touched the ground and it landed on one of the paths. Astrid had never seen such a plane. It was pitch black and had a design of MX Aircraft MX2. However, she could say that the plane was self-designed.

Everyone was looking at the plane attentively, wanting to know who its owner was. They didn't wait long and the pilot got out of the plane. Astrid wasn't far from the path where he landed, so she could inspect the pilot closely.

His height was around six feet. He was wearing a black full-face helmet. Under his black pilot jacket was a black shirt with a Night Fury on it. The jacket had a red skull-like pattern on the left shoulder. His jeans were black and he was wearing boots.

"Wow. He's hot."

Astrid jumped away from her plane- startled and turned seeing Ruffnut swooning over the new pilot.

"How did you get in here!?" she asked angrily. She hated when someone startled her! Then the blonde crossed her arms and looked at Ruffnut skeptically. "And besides, I thought you liked Eret?"

"Hey, if I like Eret it doesn't mean that I can't say that this guy is hot!" Ruffnut exclaimed and looked towards Eret. "But still, no one is better than Eret."

Eret Eretson was one of the high-ranking pilots. He had black hair gathered in a ponytail and was wearing a cream pilot jacket. He was talking with Thuggory Meathead-who began taking part in the championship just recently.

Eret's gaze turned towards the girls and Ruffnut didn't lose the chance to wave at him. His expression quickly turned to the one of panic. He grabbed Thuggory and quickly left, going as far as possible form the crazy blonde.

Astrid snickered. "Looks like he's afraid of you," she said smirking.

Ruffnut pouted. "That's just his form of showing love," she whined and went to search for Eret.

Astrid continued to watch the new pilot. She assumed this was Night Fury. She had never seen him and looking at his clothing, you can say that it was him. Astrid thought that she could go and talk to him but then decided against it, she needed to train.

The blonde got into her plane and flew to the track beginning to exercise. All pilots did the same except one. Night Fury was just standing there, leaning on his plane, and watching the others. Astrid scoffed. So this guy was so confident in himself that he didn't want to train? Well, it will be fun watching him lose.

Astrid heard the horn blow, indicating that the training was over and it was time to determine the starting order for Qualifying. Everyone landed and got ready for the race.

First, to fly was Krogan since he was the winner of the last year. He went to his red Extra 300sc a smirk on his face. The plane got into the air and when the horn blew, he began flying the track. Astrid was attentively watching his every move. He flew the track and when he passed the finish, the time was announced.

"58 seconds!"

58 seconds. It was his time. He had passed the damn track in 58 seconds! Astrid was boiling inside. Her record was only 64 seconds! However, that didn't discourage her, instead, it gave her more determination.

She took her helmet and began heading towards her plane. Astrid heard her friends wishing her good look but she only was concentrated on the plane and the plane alone. She got into her blue-yellow Edge 540 and starting the engine, raised to the skies.

The horn blew. Astrid was going as fast as she could. Rolling and avoiding the cones. When she fished the track, the pilot knew that she surely bet her record. However, there was a question. Did she bet Krogan's? Astrid got out of the plane and ran towards Heather.

"What is my time?" She asked hopefully, still panting from the run.

From Heather's expression, Astrid could say that she didn't beat him. "61 seconds," the girl answered and seeing Astrid's expression quickly added. "Hey don't worry. You bet your own record and the difference between yours and his is just 3 seconds!"

Astrid knew that Heather wanted just to cheer her up. Those 3 seconds mattered a lot! Even milliseconds mattered! There were so many times when during the final race the winner was determined by ten milliseconds! She had trained day and night and Krogan beat her! Again!

Astrid was angry with herself. However, she didn't want to upset Heather and just said 'thanks' giving her a half-smile.

"Yo, Astrid you did great!" exclaimed Tuff. Astrid turned and saw twins heading towards her. She quickly hid her grim expression.

"Thanks."

"Hey, don't be discouraged. You can beat him! You still have the Qualifying day, and the actual races," Ruffnut said swinging her arm around her shoulders- giving her a side hug.

Astrid began feeling a bit better. The twins always could cheer everyone up. However, there was one person who she would really like to see now. She turned to the bleachers and began searching for a certain auburn-haired person. She was disappointed when she couldn't find him. She searched again. However, nothing.

Astrid dropped her eyes. She would love to talk to him. He always knew what to say and his sarcastic remarks always made her smile.

She didn't know where he was. All the company was here. It was the most important event of the year! Hiccup wouldn't want to miss this. Maybe something important came up and he couldn't come. She was sure that he would be here tomorrow.

The blonde saw as Eret passed the finish line in his red-green Extreme XA41. Then it came Dagur's turn. The time passed and almost everyone finished the track expect Night Fury.

Astrid didn't pay much attention to him when he headed towards the runway. He was just some newbie who would hit the gates and lose the control of the plane. She had seen many like him. Therefore, instead of watching, she was talking with the gang- discussing their performances.

She was talking with Snotlout when suddenly Tuffnut's words caught her attention. "The new guy is not bad." Astrid turned her attention to the black plane and saw that Ruff was right. Although Night Fury wasn't flying fast, he was subtly avoiding the cones and passing the gates.

When he finished the line, the time was announced. He did better than the twins and Thuggory. However, he still wasn't a treat to her. The highest place he could take was 6th.

It was time for aerobatics. Krogan flew to the air. He turned, span, rolled, and did loops. All that at high speed. Astrid smirked, he performed well but she had a card up her sleeve. She went to her plane and got inside.

She put on her seatbelt and wore the helmet.

"Are you ready to rock, girl!?" she heard Heather yell encouragingly through her headphones.

"I'll show him who's the best," Astrid answered smirking and started the engine. The plane began driving and after some time it was in the air.

The pilot began her performance. She did rolls and then went into a big loop. Astrid turned vertical and began doing a loop. She raised into the air and began doing hammerheads. It stayed only a few seconds till the end and it was the time.

Astrid raised high into the air and then began free falling. She was looking at the altimeter and when she was half a kilometer above the ground, she rolled the plane and darted forward. The horn blew indicating the end of her performance. The wheels touched the ground and the plane landed.

Astrid drove her plane to one of the paths and got out. She saw her friends whooping and cheering for her. This was just the training day and there were no juries. Therefore, no one would judge them.

The aerobatics mattered a lot in the championship. You could not get a good time in the race but receiving good points for aerobatics you could go forward.

Astrid went to the bleachers and began watching the other pilots. She was watching Snotlout doing hammerheads when Ruffnut elbowed her.

"Looks like the new hottie likes you," she said smirking and gesturing to Night Fury who was staring at her. When she looked at him, he quickly averted his eyes and began looking at the sky. She scoffed and continued watching the performance.

The others did some basic aerobatics. The time came for Night Fury. Astrid was interested in what he would do. However, nothing extraordinary happened. He just did some loops and rolls.

Looks like, he wasn't good with aerobatics. The training was over and the blonde began gathering her things, preparing to leave. She would like to stay more in the track and train but she wasn't allowed. However, she wasn't forbidden to train for aerobatics.

Others were leaving too. Since it was the training session, not many people came to watch. Most were the workers of the company, who were allowed to not work and watch the championship. These days were their favorites.

Astrid finished gathering her things and began heading towards her blue-yellow Edge 540.

* * *

Hiccup entered the workshop wearing the outfit that he had bought. It was around 10 am and the training session would start from a few hours. He wanted to see Gobber before going to the track. Sadly, the old mechanic couldn't come today. Since he was teaching Hiccup, Gobber was spending lesser time in the workshop and he had many orders gathered. However, he promised to come to the race.

Seeing Hiccup Gobber wolf-whistled.

"Laddie, ya look good in leather. Quite, ladies' man, huh?" he asked winking to his apprentice.

"Well, no one can resist this raw vikingness," Hiccup said gesturing to himself. Gobber put his tool on the table and approached Hiccup.

"Listen ta me, Hiccup," he said putting his hands on the boy's shoulders. He had grown a lot but inside he still was the little boy who had insecurities. He was trying to hide it behind his wall of sarcasm. However, Gobber knew him too well and he could see through it. "Ye can da more than ya think. Ye've learned flyin' a plane in half month! Ye're ta best engineer in tae company at such a young age! And ye're tae best apprentice I could ask fer! Yer like a son tae me. I know what ye're capable of. So go and show all of 'em what can ya do!"

Hiccup was touched by his godfather's speech and he couldn't help himself but throw his arms around him. Gobber returned the hug- wrapping his arms around the boy who grew in front of his eyes. He broke the hug still looking into the boy's eyes.

"Now, ye need tae stop all of… this," he said gesturing to Hiccup, a smile making its way to his face.

Hiccup chuckled. "But you just gestured to all of me."

"Yes, stop being all of ye! Be the mysterious and skilled pilot, who's gonna win tae race!" Gobber joked and went back to work.

"You know I can't win the race, right? There are experienced pilots, who are better than I am. I just want to take part in the race and find out what can I do," Hiccup said approaching Gobber.

Gobber just shook his head. Hiccup would never change. He didn't want to open his eyes and see that he was a good pilot. Maybe during the race, he would understand.

"Okay, I need to go. I still need to get the plane and I don't want to be late," Hiccup said going to the door.

"Good luck!" he heard Gobber say before leaving the workshop.

* * *

When Hiccup arrived at the track and landed, he saw everyone's eyes on him. He didn't blame them. He was a new pilot who they've never seen, and they wanted to know if he was a treat to them or not. Moreover, the black mask-, which covered his whole face, the self-designed plane-, which no one had ever seen, and his different outfit-, which didn't have an emblem on it, weren't helping either.

He drove the plane to one of the paths and got out.

Hiccup began looking at his surroundings and suddenly noticed Astrid, a few paths away. He acted casual- leaning on his plane and looking around. With the corner of his eye, he saw Astrid observing him. He felt uncomfortable under her gaze but didn't show it.

Thankfully, after a few minutes, she stopped staring and began talking with another blonde who had her hair in three braids. If he wasn't wrong, it was Ruffnut-the first half of the crazy Thorston twins.

Hiccup took that opportunity to inspect the other pilots. His gaze fell on a man who had his black hair gathered in a ponytail and was currently speaking with a brown-haired pilot.

Eret Eretson. A senior, high-ranking pilot from Hunter isles. Eret learned flying a plane at the age of ten. His teacher was his father. He was very experienced and had won the championship two times. Last time when he took cup home was five years ago before Krogan showed up. He was always taking high places.

The pilot he was speaking with was Thuggory Meathead. Thuggory was a newbie. He began taking part in the championship last year and took the last place. However, it was noticeable that he had worked on himself since now he was the best in his hometown.

Hiccup eyes swept over the crowd and he saw Krogan. Krogan Flyer was the winner of the last five championships. There was not much information about him. There were rumors that he was sabotaging the pilots who seemed dangerous for him.

For example, Dogsbreath Duhbrain had been a high-ranking pilot who always took the first places in the championships, before Krogan showed up. After a few days of racing, in the final had only stayed Dogsbreath and him. During Dogsbreath's performance, the plane's wing exploded and it crashed the ground. Duhbrain was badly hurt and wasn't able to continue his career anymore.

Most people say it was Krogan who put the explosive in the plane. However, that were just rumors. No one was able to prove anything.

Hiccup continued looking around and saw Oswaldson siblings- Heather and Dagur Oswaldson. Heather lived in Berk and Dagur in Berserker city due to their parent's divorce.

Heather Oswaldson had a degree in management. She was now working in Berk's Light Sport Aircraft Manufacturers and was Astrid Hofferson's manager. Although she herself wasn't a pilot, she had a big influence on aeronautics.

Dagur Oswaldson had good skills and lots of experience. He was around Eret's age and this was his sixth year taking part in the championship. Dagur was known for his wild style. He loved doing crazy aerobatics at high speeds. That's from where he got his nickname- 'Deranged'. Last year Dagur took the 4th place.

Finally, Hiccup's eyes landed on Berk's pilots who were chatting together. Ruffnut and Tuffnut Thorstons weren't great pilots, however, they were the only ones who flew Yak 110 in the whole Archipelago. Therefore, that technically made them the best in that area. They often fought with each other and sometimes it led to crashes.

Snotlout Jorgensen was Berk's second best pilot. He was arrogant, cocky, and too in love with himself. That was affecting his flying. Sometimes he was trying to do things he wasn't capable of- endangering himself.

The last but not least- Astrid Hofferson. Astrid was a hardworking, determined and stubborn young woman. She was Berk's best pilot and the second best pilot in Archipelago. Her technique was perfect, and her skills excellent. However, like everyone, she too had flaws. It was her temper. Over the years, she had improved but the problem still existed.

Hiccup looked to the air and saw that almost every pilot was in the air- practicing his or her moves and flying in the track. Probably he should do that too. He looked at the pilots and decided against that. It would be better if he watched them and learned. They were more experienced than he was and he had a lot to learn.

Everyone's style was different. One was flying calmly, the other recklessly, someone was agile, and someone swift. However, every time his gaze was returning to Astrid. He loved watching her fly. She was gracious and reckless at the same time.

Hiccup was always watching her when she was flying in the track. Then he was dreaming about being in her place. Now he could fly, and by watching her, he could improve.

The horn blew, indicating that the training was over and it was time to determine the starting order for Qualifying.

Krogan Flyer raised into the air. His movements were swift and agile. His time was 58 seconds. That was a new record. No one has ever passed the track in 58 seconds. Hiccup glanced at Astrid and in short- she wasn't pleased.

He saw how she confidently grabbed her helmet and marched over her plane. When she got out, she quickly rushed to Heather. It broke Hiccup's heart seeing how her shoulders slumped, hearing her results. He knew how much she wanted to beat Krogan.

Then Astrid quickly straightened herself and the determined look got back to her face. Hiccup gave a small smile. Astrid was strong and she would not let that disappoint her.

Other pilots passed the track and Hiccup was attentively watching their performances. However, Hiccup couldn't help but look at Astrid. He wanted to run to her and assure that everything will be fine. That she's a great pilot and she'll beat Krogan and bring the cup home as she wanted. Sadly, he couldn't do that. His cover would be blown.

He looked back at the track, not wanting to be caught staring at Astrid. Instead, he concentrated on the pilot who was currently flying.

It didn't help. Her hair was sticking out of her usually neat braid. She had unzipped her jacket, showing her blue shirt. It was definitely her color. Suddenly Astrid turned to him and he quickly averted his gaze. He had been caught.

Hiccup was sure that he was beet red now. He was relieved that the helmet hid his face. Unable to look back at her after that he continued looking the pilots' performances.

Finally, his time came. Since it was his first time taking part in the championship, he was the last one to fly. He got into his plane and took to the skies.

Hiccup decided not to fly at high speeds. He was in a new track and preferred not crashing. Although, he had trained with Gobber in a track which was like this one. The difference was, that in that track the obstacles were made from metal and it was dangerous. Here they were inflatable so even if you crashed, no harm would be done.

He began avoiding the cones and flying the gates. Hiccup was feeling great. He was in the air again and he was free. He even hadn't noticed how he passed the whole track. The finish line grew closer and when he passed it, Hiccup understood one thing- he wanted to win.

 **So that's it. Night Fury made his debut. This is the longest chapter that I've ever written! Please tell me what you think and until next time :)**


	17. Chapter 17: The Qualifying

**Chapter 17: The Qualifying**

"Ye're crazy!"

"Gobber, I know, but please. You know that-," Hiccup pleaded running after Gobber, who was hobbling towards his truck.

"I said no! And that's final!" Gobber yelled turning back to Hiccup. His hands were clenched into fists and he was breathing heavily. The old mechanic didn't get angry easily, and if he did, that was serious.

Since yesterday, Hiccup was thinking of a way to win the championship. Only being the fastest during the race wouldn't help. He needed to have a good performance in aerobatics too. If he wanted to be better than Astrid and Krogan, he needed to do something extraordinary, dangerous, and reckless. Something that no one had done before.

The only person who could help him was Gobber.

"Only doing Kulbit, I can win! And you know that!" Hiccup shouted, still running after his teacher. Even with his peg leg, he was fast.

They were in the old Aviation College again and after the training Hiccup decided to tell Gobber about his intentions. The outcome wasn't what he had expected. Gobber's eyes had widened and without even a second of doubt, his answer was a firm 'no'. Hiccup tried to persuade him, but he had no luck.

"I said NO!" Gobber yelled, getting tired of the boy running after him.

Hiccup came to halt. During all these 19 years of knowing Gobber, he had never seen him yell. The old pilot stopped and sighed. "I just donnae want ya getting hurt laddie…" he murmured quietly.

"I know. But it's the only way for me to win and you know that," Hiccup said his voice softer, the plea visible in it. Gobber looked at him over his shoulder. "Did I tell ya about the accident?"

Gobber didn't need to explain what he meant since Hiccup understood immediately. He shook his head. Gobber never talked about that and he didn't ask. The only thing he knew was that he crashed and lost his limbs. That is all. Gobber turned to him.

"Well. It was 25 years ago," he began his tale. "Yer father, mother and I were training fer tae incoming championship. I was known fer mah crazy aerobatics. I could say that I was even better in that than yer mother was." A small smile played on his lips.

"I decided tae da something that no one has ever done. The Kulbit. It is tae hardest aerobatic and it was dangerous on mah Culp Special. No one did it and I wanted tae be the first. Of course, yer dad and mom tried ta convince me out of that but I was too stubborn." Gobber sighed and looked into Hiccup's eyes.

"I got intae the plane and raised tae the skies. After warming up, I got ready. I adjusted tae plane and began turning. It all went well, till tae last seconds. The stick didn't move. I couldn't stop tae plane. I was plummeting down while spinning on crazy speeds. I couldn't da anything. I crashed. Tae next thing I remember was waking up in tae hospital and finding out that I no longer had mah foot and hand," Gobber finished his tale and put his hands on Hiccup's shoulders.

"Laddie, it's too dangerous and I don't want ye tae get hurt," he said, looking him into the eyes. Hiccup sighed and looked down. Many people would've already backed down after this tale but not Hiccup. He was too stubborn for his own good.

"Of course, ye'll still want to learn it. Ye're even more stubborn that both of yer parents…," Gobber murmured. However, he wouldn't even expect anything else. "I'll see ya tomorrow morning, at nine. Don't be late and get a good night's sleep. Ye'll need it. We have a lot tae learn." With that, Gobber got into his truck and drove home, leaving bewildered Hiccup staring after him.

* * *

Hiccup took his tray and headed towards his usual table-beside the window. He wasn't surprised seeing twins and Snotlout there too. Since Astrid began having lunch with him and Fishlegs, the others began joining too. It was quite fun having lunch with them.

Twins were always finding some way to create a disaster and that made lunch more interesting. Fishlegs couldn't stop talking about different planes. In addition, Hiccup enjoyed talking with Astrid. She liked a lot to discuss her training and the new moves she worked on.

Of course, Snotlout still made stupid comments about him, called him 'useless', but that didn't break the mood. Astrid's glare always made him shut up. It was funny how much he was intimidated by the blonde.

"Hey guys," Hiccup greeted putting his tray on the table and seating on the empty place between Fishlegs and Astrid. There were heard many 'hey's and a grumble from Snotlout. The chatter continued around the table, everyone going back to their business.

Hiccup began eating his salad hearing Fishlegs with a half ear and keeping his eyes on the twins. Form their mischievous grins you could say that they were up to something.

"Hey, Hiccup." He turned his attention to Astrid, his mouth full. "Um, where were you yesterday? I hadn't seen you at the training session."

Hiccup almost chocked but was able to hold himself. "Uhm, I…" Think, Hiccup! Think! "I was working. Yeah… I had many projects gathered up so I kinda couldn't come."

There was a moment Hiccup thought that she wouldn't buy it. However, when he heard her chuckle, he relaxed. Well, apparently, his lying skills got better.

"Oh, Hiccup," Astrid said chuckling. "You're the only person who would work during the championship. That are the only days that you're allowed not to work!"

Hiccup chuckled too, rubbing the back of his neck. "Well, I'll surely be on the Qualifying." He blurted out. Realizing what he had just said, his eyes widened. He had just said to Astrid that he would be on Qualifying when obviously he could not! He would be pretty busy participating in it.

"Then, I'll be waiting," Astrid answered smiling and went back to eating. Hiccup could only nod dumbly. He needed to think of a way. He needed to think of a way fast.

Fishlegs' words bought him back to reality. "I saw that Krogan Flyer passed the track in 58 seconds! That's a new record!" he exclaimed excitedly.

Hiccup immediately turned his gaze towards Astrid. Her expression turned to the one of anger. He couldn't blame Fishlegs. His friend didn't know about Astrid's goal. He was just very excited about the new record.

However, that could be his chance. Didn't he want to comfort Astrid so badly yesterday? Maybe he could do that now.

"Hey, don't worry Astrid. I know you will beat him, win the championship, and bring the cup home. After all, you're the best pilot that I know," he said in a soft voice, giving her his crooked smile.

Astrid expression relaxed and she gave him a small smile. She was happy hearing those words from him. She knew that they were genuine and that made her feel special. A blush crept to her cheeks but thankfully, her bags covered it.

"Oh my Thor!" came Fishlegs' panicking voice. "We're late! We're late! The lunch had ended fifteen minutes ago!"

Hiccup quickly jumped to his feet. He gathered his things, bid a quick goodbye to the gang and ran after his friend who surprisingly had already left the cafeteria.

* * *

"Laddie, yer loop is too big. It has tae be smaller in order to rotate around the axis," Gobber said thought his microphone. He only heard an exasperated sigh as a reply.

It had been two days since they began learning Kulbit. Although, there were no results. Hiccup did too big loops or couldn't spin at all. That highly frustrated Hiccup. He needed to learn it fast! He needed to do it at the aerobatics performance. In other cases, his chances for victory were slim.

"Donnae be discouraged, Hiccup. Kulbit is one of tae hardest aerobatics, if not tae hardest one. It's okay if you cannae do it," Gobber reassured.

"Gobber, but I need to do it! I need to win! That's my only chance!" Hiccup said desperately. He landed the plane and got out.

Gobber knew the reason why he wanted to win. He wanted to prove to everyone, including himself that he was not useless. The bullying in school had affected him a lot. Even if he was an amazing engineer, he still felt useless since he couldn't fly a plane. It was a boundary between him and his family. Everyone in his family was a pilot expect him.

Now he could fly a plane and was good at it, but that wasn't enough for him. He wanted to be the best. Hiccup even didn't care that people wouldn't know who he really was. He just wanted to win.

Gobber looked at his apprentice's defeated posture and wished that he could do something, anything that'll help him. However, he couldn't help him much. Not all of his experiences with Kulbit ended well.

Suddenly, an idea sparked in his mind. How he hadn't thought about that! The cheerful smile returned to the mechanic's face and he turned to Hiccup.

"Hiccup, why didn't ya try doin' Kobra instead?" he asked with a playful smile. Hiccup's head shot up and he looked at Gobber with hopeful eyes. "It's easier and, also that's where Kulbit came from. If ye can da Kobra, then count that Kulbit is in yer pocket."

Hiccup quickly ran to his plane and raised to the skies. He went vertical and when it was time to turn, he couldn't do it and instead darted upwards. The next attempts weren't successful too. However, he didn't let himself be discouraged. Doing nothing, he wouldn't achieve anything. He needed to train. Even the professionals couldn't do everything at the first attempt; they had trained day and night, and in the end, they succeeded.

The sun was setting, coloring the sky in different shades of red, orange, and yellow. It was getting late. Berk was a perfect place to watch sunsets. Gobber was preparing to leave and he threw one last glance to the sky, before leaving Hiccup.

He didn't expect what he saw. He did it. Hiccup did it. After training for three days, he succeeded.

"Oh my Thor! Gobber! I did it! I did it!" came Hiccup's shocked and joyful voice from the communication device. Gobber knew what he felt. Nothing was better than finally achieving what you were working for.

Gobber looked at the sky seeing the little black speck soaring through the skies. He felt tears of happiness gathering in his eyes. Hiccup become a man, from the clumsy boy he was. Now he had passed him. He did something that he failed to do. He couldn't describe how proud he was.

* * *

"Sir, you are going to be late," was heard Ally's voice. Hiccup was now darting towards the track. He had been training all morning and hadn't even noticed that he was late for the Qualifying.

The company came to his view and Hiccup landed. Since the race had already begun, he couldn't land near the track. There might be a possibility that he would hit a pilot. The wheels touched the ground and Hiccup drove towards the track.

He thought he would get insane! The plane was moving like a turtle! The little kid with a bike would've gone faster! However, the plane was provided for flying not driving. After agonizing 10 minutes, he reached the destination and got out.

Hiccup looked upwards and saw Dagur half through the track. He sighed in relief. He wasn't late for his turn. After Dagur would be Snotlout and then him. However, he was upset that he couldn't see the others' performances.

Since the race would be in a few days and it was still the Qualifying, the screens weren't being used. He couldn't see other's results. They were only being announced after the performances.

"70.4 seconds!" Well, there was only a little difference between Dagur's last results.

Snotlout raised to the air and he did even worse than the last time. There was even a second added because he hit a tower with the side of the wing!

Hiccup got into his plane and when his name was called, the plane raised to the skies. The horn blew and he darted forward. He was passing gates, avoiding cones and zigzagged through flagged ones. He was still new to the track and he didn't dare to fly at his full speed.

Meanwhile, Astrid was curiously inspecting Night Fury. He was definitely hiding something. A few days ago, he was passing the track slowly and carefully and now he was subtly avoiding the cones while flying at high speed! It looked like as if he had been flying in there his whole life!

If someone said that he and the person from three days ago were the same, she wouldn't believe it.

That was not good. He has surely beat Snotlout, at whom she was still mad at. The idiot even didn't dare to show his face after the performance. Well, it was better for him. She had been fuming and would have given him some punches.

Astrid wasn't sure if Night Fury passed Dagur or not. However, last time when he had done aerobatics, she noted that he wasn't good.

Aerobatics were hard and you needed lots of experience to have a good performance. Krogan had been flying for a long time and he was experienced. That's why she had learned new aerobatics and created lots of combinations.

Astrid somewhat relaxed at that. Night Fury was a newbie and couldn't be that good in aerobatics. However, oh Thor was she wrong.

The aerobatic performances began and Astrid was anxiously waiting for Night Fury's turn. His name was called and he flew up. He did better than last time. He rolled, did loops and spins. A small smile tugged Astrid's lips. She finally let herself relax, leaning back on the chair.

After some time, the black plane began slowing down. Astrid narrowed her eyes. What was he doing? He still had 2 minutes before his performance ended. Why did he want to finish it earlier? There would be points taken from him.

However, the plane's nose began raising. The color drained from Astrid's face. That was… impossible. No, no, no, no. He couldn't do that!

The plane became vertical and then it began going back down. This person just did Pugacheve's Cobra! One of the hardest aerobatics in the world! Only a few pilots who could do that! Your plane needed to be super maneuverable for that. None of the light-weight sport aircraft were supermaneuverable!

"We have just witnessed Pugacheve's Cobra!" The announcer said. "This aerobatic had never been performed during the Championship!" The crowd erupted with cheers. Everyone was overjoyed that they had witnessed this.

Astrid threw a quick glance towards Krogan. His eyes had widened and a scowl appeared on his face. Now they had a new competitor.

"Night Fury isn't over with that! He also decided to perform different varieties of Cobra! Ladies and Gentlemen, we're witnessing the Herbst Maneuver and the Tailslide."

Astrid's head snapped up. She saw the plane's nose raising again but this time the pilot decided to take his sweet time. He began flying forward staying in vertical position. Astrid unable to stand anymore fell back on her seat. She was doomed.

There was no way she could outperform him. However, she needed to beat Krogan, at least. For that, she needed to continue training.

When the Qualifying was over, she quickly gathered her things and began heading towards the training grounds.

"Astrid, we're going to the cafeteria," she heard Heather say casually. The raven-haired girl had gathered her things and was waiting for her to follow. Astrid turned to her narrowing her eyes.

"Nope. You're going to the cafeteria and I'm going to training grounds," she said and turned back, continuing her road.

"Astrid, you haven't eaten all day. And don't you dare to say otherwise, I know you were training from the morning," she said crossing her arms. She was not going to let her go that easily.

Astrid grunted. "I'm not hungry," she answered clenching her fists. Couldn't she just let her go!

"Yes, you are! It's already 4:30 pm! You know that it's not good to train on an empty stomach," Heather tried to reason. Astrid stopped and sighed. Heather was right. She needed to stay healthy and not eating wasn't good. "Okay," Astrid said meekly. She turned and headed towards the cafeteria.

Heather looked at her best friend. She understood why she wanted to go to the training grounds. After Night Fury's performance, there was no way she could win the championship and that was her dream. Heather wanted to say something but couldn't find the right words and decided to keep quiet.

The road to the cafeteria was silent. Heather not knowing what to say was throwing quick glances towards Astrid. She seemed determined and slightly angry. It was better to not say anything when she was like this. She would just deny everything.

They were entering the building when a familiar nasal voice made them stop.

"Hey, guys!" They turned and saw Hiccup running towards them. Heather saw a sparkle in Astrid's eyes. She knew about her feelings for Hiccup and hoped she would listen to him, at least.

"Hey Hiccup," she greeted with a small smile on her face. As Hiccup reached them they continued walking. After throwing a few glances towards Hiccup, Astrid asked.

"I didn't see you today at the race. Did you come?" She was half-hoping he wasn't there. He was one of the few people who knew about her dream and she didn't want him seeing how it had crashed down.

"Oh, yes. I was at the behind, that's why you didn't see me," he answered a bit too cheerfully for her taste. Astrid hung her head. He was excited for having witnessed such a great performance, as the others were. After all, who wouldn't be?

Not wanting to break his mood, she just continued walking silently. They entered the cafeteria and saw the gang sitting on their usual table having a hotheaded discussion.

Nearing the table, Astrid could understand their words. A frown appeared on her face understanding about whom they were talking. She went and sat at the empty seat, Hiccup sitting beside her and Heather beside Fishlegs.

"That guy is awesome!" yelled Tuffnut throwing his hands up in the air. "Yeah, he's crazy. I like that," Ruffnut continued wiggling her eyebrows.

"Can you image!? We were there to witness the first time that this hard aerobatics were performed in the championship!" Fishlegs squealed joyfully, shaking from joy.

"That guy is even better than me," Snotlout said picking his nails. "And not many are better than me," he continued, getting eye rolls from the others.

With every word of praise, Astrid's scowl was deepening. She had her fist closed so tight that she was sure her nails left a mark. That person just made her dream into dust! Moreover, now, she had to sit and listen to how the others were praising him!

However, Snotlout's next words made her explode.

"He's even better than Astrid. She will only dream of doing aerobatics that hard."

"Listen. Here. Snotlout." she hissed hitting her fist on the table. "That son of a half-troll is probably just some spoiled kid. His reach daddy bought him a supermaneuverable plane with an amazing system! And he decided to take a part in the championship! I will not be surprised if he will even not be the one doing aerobatics, but a PROGRAMM!"

The gasps were heard from across the table. Everyone surprised by Astrid's outburst.

"Astrid! I know that you are upset but it's unacceptable to say such things!" Heather cried bewildered. She knew about her friend's anger problems but she never had behaved like this.

"I don't care! I'm leaving! And don't even think about following me!" Astrid stood up and left the cafeteria. As she disappeared from the sight, Hiccup turned to the others.

"Um, I think I'll leave as well," saying that he stood up and left the table.

Astrid's every single word was a sharp stab to his heart. Even she didn't believe that he could do that. When he had ended his performance, he had caught Astrid's gaze. It was broken and hopeless. He knew that she had given up. He was feeling immensely guilty and even had thought about backing down.

However, now, the guilt had disappeared and instead of it was pure determination. He would prove to her. He would prove to everyone. He would prove that he is not useless.

 **Hey guys! How are you doing? I can't believe that from 3 days the HTTYD3 will be out! I have been waiting for this so long and now it's here!**

 **In addition, this story is almost over. There are only 4-5 chapters left. I'll try to update more frequently, but I can't promise anything. My schedule is hectic and I barely have any free time.**

 **And I suggest watching the aerobatics that were mentioned in this chapter (Kulbit, Pugacheve's Cobra, Tailslide, Herbst Maneuver). Anyways, I hope you liked this chapter. Please tell me what you think and until next time :)**


	18. Chapter 18: The Race

**Heey, guuys. *chuckling nervously*. How's it going? Long time no see, huh? I know I said that I'll try updating more frequently but life was hectic. Firstly, HTTYD3 was amazing. I was weeping! I have seen it 4 times and every time cried even harder. After seeing the movie, I couldn't just write anything good.**

 **For two weeks I was leaving my house at 8am and returning home at 10:30pm. I had problems with my eyes and couldn't come near a computer for a week! Then I was working on my scriptwriting project and barely had any time. And when we top all of that with lots of homework and lots of lots of side projects we get a disaster and many many sleepless nights.**

 **Okay, I'll stop with my complaints and present you chapter 18! This is one of my most favorite chapters. I think you'll like it ;)**

 **Chapter 18: The Race**

"We have a problem," Stoick declared dropping a stack of papers in front of the two girls. "These articles were published yesterday."

Heather and Astrid picked the papers from the table and began looking. All of them were about the mysterious pilot, who did aerobatics never performed before. There were articles labeled 'New Mysterious Pilots Shows His Amazing Skills During The Qualifying', 'Night Fury Breaks Records', and 'The New Pilot Beats Astrid Hofferson In Qualifying'.

The last one made Astrid's blood boil. She crossed her arms and leaned back on her chair, a deep scowl on her face. This 'Night Fury' was getting on her nerves. He had performed aerobatics that she couldn't even dream of and the next day the press began questioning if she really is the best pilot in Berk.

The only thing that calmed her a bit was that Night Fury was better than Krogan too. However, the press didn't even mention that! The newbie was better than the champion of five years was, and there wasn't even a word about that! The articles were only focused on criticizing her.

"I can talk with some newspapers about removing the articles," Heather suggested. The raven-haired girl had ties and could do that.

"There's no point in that," Stoick said sitting back in his huge leather chair. "The harm is already done."

Heather nodded firmly. Stoick sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "This is bad. This is terrible. All of these articles aren't just reflecting on Astrid's career, but also on the company. After all, Astrid is our role model."

His cold gaze landed on Astrid. "Since we started this. May I ask you what happened on the Qualifying? How could a newbie beat you? Have the fame affected you and you stopped training?"

Astrid's eyes widened at the statement. How could he say something like that!? She wasn't one of those celebrities who stopped training after getting famous! Instead, she was training even harder, trying to achieve even more heights!

"In case you're wondering, sir," she spat. "I was training day and night. I was even training all of your pilots when you didn't ask for that. I managed to make an adequate pilot of your stupid nephew. And all I get is that I'm not good enough?" She stood up and put her hands on the table, glaring at the man.

The room's occupants' eyes widened. Heather's in shock and Stoick in anger.

"So, you're saying that I'm ungrateful?" Stoick asked also standing up, glaring back.

"Well, maybe, yes," Astrid hissed.

"Astrid!" Heather whisper-yelled in shock. It was the worst idea, she ever had. She had called Stoick Haddock- the CEO of Berk's Manufacturers ungrateful! Stoick was a big man in aeronautics of Archipelago and if he wanted, he could shut Astrid's career right down!

However, Heather was ignored by the angry blonde. She continued glaring at the man in front of him, not all intimidated by his size.

"Better apologize and I will forget what happened here," Stoick suggested the icy glare still on his eyes. He had regained his composure and was trying to be reasonable. This fight could have bad consciousness for both of them

"How about, no," Astrid dared. Stoick's face turned beet red. Heather already didn't know what to do. She was tightly gripping her chair fearing that she might faint.

"In that case, I suggest you leave this building before I'll call the security. You have no right to be here. From now on you're not working here. I officially fire you," Stoick hissed, sitting back in his chair. Astrid's eyes widened for a second, before narrowing to an even more intimidating glare.

"Then so be it," the blonde snapped. She took her jacket from the hanger and headed towards the doors. "I wish you the best of luck," she said opening the door and slamming it with all her might. Leaving the bewildered Heather and furious Stoick behind.

* * *

The track was full of people. Most of the folk were standing. Today was the actual race and everyone came to see it. There were four pilots flying-Krogan, Eret, herself, and the famous Night Fury.

There never was such a big crowd. Sure Berkians loved to watch the races, but they preferred doing that at home. Almost all of Berk came! Astrid was sure everyone dreaded to see Night Fury in action.

The blonde greeted her teeth. Firstly, he takes away her dream and now her career! She was sure that her career in aeronautics was over. Stoick was a big man in the area and could shut her every way of getting a job. He would surely do that after she called him 'ungrateful'.

Astrid sighed. She regretted every single word she said. If she would go and apologize to Stoick, it was possible that he would let her come back. However, she was not going to do that. She was a Hofferson, and she would deal with her problems herself.

She looked at the screens. There were still thirty minutes until the race started. Her gaze fell on the bleachers where her friends and Stoick were. The CEO of the company was looking at her with a scowl on his face, while her friends were cheering on her.

A smile appeared on the blonde's face. They could be muttonheads most of the time, but there were loyal. She was sure that they already knew what had happened between him and Stoick. It warmed her heart that they didn't care about their boss being angry at them. The only thing that relieved her was that he would not fire them. After all, they were the only pilots he had and on Berk weren't many.

Astrid furrowed her brows. Where was Heather? She thought she would be sitting with the others. She began looking around.

"Looking for someone?" A familiar voice asked. She turned back and saw the raven-haired girl, a smirk on her face.

"Heather," she said relieved. "I thought you would be sitting there," she said indicating to the front bleachers. That were the best places and usually, the CEOs of the companies, managers, and pilots were sitting there.

"You thought I would be sitting there when it's the most important part of your life?" Heather asked shaking her head, a teasing smile on her face. "I didn't know you thought so low about me."

She took her notebook out and began flipping through pages. "Okay, if you want to beat Krogan you need to be fast. You can't beat him on aerobatics, he's too skilled. However, if you'll do more combinations then it's possible that you get high scores," the raven-haired girl stated. She put her hand on Astrid's shoulder and looked her in the eye. "You can do this. Just believe in yourself."

Astrid smiled but then it was replaced with a frown. "Wait, aren't you worried that Stoick will notice you? He might fire you for helping me." Stoick would not fire twins and Snotlout. However, he would fire Heather.

"You're right," Heather said. "Yes, I'm working in Berk's Manufacturers and yes, Stoick might fire me for helping you." Astrid tilted her head. "However, above all, I'm your manager and it's my job to help you. And above everything, I'm your best friend and I would never let you be alone during this important time. I don't care if Stoick will fire me."

The emotions overcame Astrid and she threw her arms over her best friend. "Wow, I never took you as the emotional type." Astrid glared at her playfully. She was happy to have her.

The pilot swept her eyes over the crowd on the bleachers. She was searching for the last person she wanted to see today. She immediately saw the mop of auburn hair and the blonde man next to him. She waved to them and Hiccup waved her back.

Astrid looked at the screen. It only stayed fifteen minutes. No one was allowed to come in anymore. She threw the last glance at her friends cheering for her and smiled. She would beat Krogan, for them.

* * *

"Laddie, I don't think this is a good idea," Gobber said though communication device. "People are looking at meh weirdly." The blonde man looked around. He was sitting on the bleachers, 'Hiccup' beside him. The dummy had auburn hair and Hiccup's clothes. This was the boy's 'master plan'.

"I think they look at you because of your cap," came the response.

"Don't ye dare tae ridicule the cap! It's older than ya and it's classic!" Gobber retorted resented. The little airplane's on his cap continued spinning. This cap was a trend on the 80s and everyone had that during championship!

"Okay, okay," Hiccup said. "Just when Astrid will look at that direction wave at her with the dummy hand. Distance is big she wouldn't notice the difference." The line got cut. Gobber grumbled under his breath and fixed his gaze back to Astrid.

Meanwhile, Hiccup wore his jacket, gloves and put his helmet on. He got into the plane and raised to the skies. Today was the big day. It was the actual race and he would perform on all his might. He had trained a lot on the track at the Old Aviation College and worked on his aerobatics.

When he landed, he was surprised. He had never seen so many people. He landed his plane next to the others and got out.

It stayed only ten minutes until the start; however, he was the last one to perform so he had lots of time. He looked around spotting familiar people. He saw Gobber with 'Hiccup', the gang, his dad, and Astrid who was sitting on the chairs for pilots.

He was supposed to be there too. However, he decided it would be better to stay away from the others.

The horn blew indicating that the race started. The announcer said words of welcome and the crowd roared with cheers. The first one to fly was Krogan. He raised to the skies and began passing the track. Nothing extraordinary happened. He had subtly passed the track, as he did before.

His time hadn't changed. It was noticeable that the man was so confident in himself that wasn't training. Night Fury scoffed. It wouldn't be bad to see him losing. He highly disliked the man. Ending his performance, Krogan landed and began getting rest, till his aerobatics performance.

Hiccup watched as Astrid took her helmet and walked towards her plane. She got inside and raised to the skies. As she started passing the track, Hiccup was amazing. She was going at crazy speeds and her turns were made swiftly. When she passed the finish line and the time was announced, Hiccup was amazed.

"55 seconds!"

It was 3 seconds shorter than Krogan's time! She finally achieved her goal, she bet Krogan.

He cheerfully watched as she got out of her plane and run to Heather, almost tackling her. The crowd roared up in cheers. The loudest of them was the gang. His dad was clapping quite reluctantly. Hiccup furrowed his brows. Wasn't his father supposed to be the happiest one? After all, Astrid was the role model of Berk's Manufacturers and it was great for the company.

He would find out about that later. The cheering had already stopped and Eret was passing the track. He didn't get bad results- 60.5 seconds, to be exact.

It was his turn. Today was the day. He needed to do everything perfectly. He got into his plane and raised to the skies. As the horn echoed across the track, the plane darted forward.

It all passed in a blur. He swiftly avoided the cones and passed the gates. The plane was going so fast that it produced a loud whistle, catching everyone's attention. Hiccup didn't understand how he passed the finish line.

"51 seconds!"

There was a moment of silence before the crowd cheered. Hiccup did a victory lap and then landed, getting out of the plane. The crowd was still cheering and Hiccup was overjoyed.

It was the fifteen-minute break, and after that, the aerobatic performances would begin. Hiccup smirked. That was what he had been waiting for.

As the break ended, everyone began returning to his or her seats. The most exciting part began- the aerobatics.

First, to perform was Krogan. He rolled, span and did loops. He got high points, however, the crowd didn't seem supportive of him.

Hiccup looked how the little blue plane flew upwards. The crowd whooped and cheered, as she began her performance. Astrid started it with simple rolls and loops. However, as time went the aerobatics got more complicated. She did a lot of combinations: rolling while doing a loop, free falling and then spinning and so on.

The crowd was cheering happily. Although Astrid got a point lower than Krogan, she didn't seem to care. She was happily waving to the crowd. Hiccup smiled, that was Astrid he knew. She didn't care about what a bunch of people said. If the crowd liked her performance, then she did great.

Hiccup didn't even notice how the time passed and his time came. His palms got sweaty. He got into his plane and raised to the skies. Hiccup did a few loops, in order to clear his head. He needed to focus. This wasn't only about performing good, it was dangerous and could cost him his life.

When he was more or less ready, he got to the center and waited for the horn.

"Ye can do it, laddie," he heard just before the horn echoed across the track. He took a deep breath and the plane darted vertically upwards. He got so high that he saw the track as just a little dot. Then quickly turning the plane, he began plummeting down.

When the plane was just a few dozen meters above the ground, it darted upwards again, repeating the process a few times. Every time producing loud whistle that amazed the crowd.

When he was done with hammerheads, he went into a rolling loop and tight spins. The plane slowed down and began flying upwards and then turning around its axis and going down. The crowd roared up in cheers. This is what they came for here today.

Hiccup then did Tailside and Cobra a few more times.

The plane began gliding in the skies, while Hiccup collected his thoughts. He was about to do something that will guarantee him total victory or could cost his life. He honestly, preferred the first one.

The pilot took a deep breath and taking a firm hold on the stick, raised the plane a few feet. With the determined look on his face, Hiccup began rotating plane around its axis. People were expecting another Cobra or even a Tailslide. However, they saw Kulbit instead.

No one ever has performed Kulbit in Archipelago. Who have tried had ended with bad consequences. Night Fury was the first person in Archipelago who performed Kulbit.

"He did it!"

"It's Kulbit!"

"Amazing!"

Everyone was yelling in surprise. However, the crowd erupted in more cheers as they noticed that Night Fury didn't plan on ending the aerobatics. Instead, he continued spinning going into Double Kulbit.

"He's crazy!" Tuffnut yelled standing up.

"Me likey!" Ruff yelled, standing up too.

Astrid was looking at all of this with an open mouth. She was amazed. The program couldn't surely do that. Therefore, after all, this person was the best pilot in Archipelago. He was a thousand times better than Krogan. However, even after admitting that, Astrid was angry with him.

Ending his performance, the Night Fury landed and everyone waited for the results. He got 100 points. No one got 100 points. However, she couldn't deny that he deserved it.

The results were now displayed, to the final passed Night Fury and Krogan. Astrid had a tiny bit of hope of going into final instead of Krogan, but he got more points in aerobatics, even if she was faster in the track.

As she saw Nigh Fury heading to his plane, Astrid took her helmet and without hesitation ran towards her plane. She wanted to know. She wanted to know who the mysterious pilot was. She wanted to know who was under the mask. Was he an old pilot? A young man? Did she know him?

As he flew into the air, Astrid followed him, keeping distance. She didn't want to be found out. It didn't pass long as he landed in an old track. Astrid narrowed her eyes. She didn't know about this place. The black plane landed. Astrid waited for some time, before landing a few hundred meters away from him.

She quietly ran and hid behind a bush, near a red hangar. This was the moment of truth. Night Fury was in the hangar and he would get out every minute.

It didn't pass long as the pilot got out of the building and closed the doors. He didn't have his helmet on and all Astrid could see was a mob of messy auburn hair.

The man turned around facing her. Astrid couldn't hold the gasp getting out of her mouth.

"HICCUP!?"

 **Sooo. See ya next time! Bye!**


	19. Chapter 19: The Secret Revealed

**Hello! How are you? Surprised to see me so soon? Well, I didn't want to leave you hanging and on the last chapter, I got a review from a guest saying that if I'm truly sorry I need to update by Thursday. So, I decided to take the challenge and I can say that I succeeded! Woohoo!**

 **Also, yesterday was my fanfiction anniversary. I have been writing fanfictions for a year! I don't plan on stopping even if the franchise is over. I have many many ideas and I can't wait to write them.**

 **I had this chapter in my mind since I got the idea of this story. I'm so happy that I'm finally writing it.**

 **Chapter 19: The Secret Revealed**

"HICCUP!?"

Hearing his name Hiccup quickly span towards the bushes. His eyes widened seeing the angry blonde. Seeing how Night Fury reacted to his name Astrid began stomping towards Hiccup.

"You're the Night Fury!?" she yelled furiously standing in front of him.

"Oh, hey Astrid, hi Astrid." Hiccup chuckled backing away. However, there was no way of getting away from her. With every step he took back, Astrid took a step forward.

"Answer me! Are you the Night Fury?" Hiccup's back hit the wall.

"Who me? Nooo. Why would you think that?" Hiccup quickly blurted out. Even when he was taller than Astrid was, he was feeling like an ant. If looks could kill, he would be a hundred feet underground.

Astrid crossed her arms and looked at Hiccup, narrowing her eyes.

"Don't play dumb with me. I followed you and saw everything. And for Thor's sake, you're in Night Fury's uniform and you're holding the helmet!" Hiccup looked at his hand and the helmet was truly there. He quickly got rid of it, dumping it on the ground.

Astrid raised her brow and Hiccup sighed.

"Okay… You caught me… I'm Night Fury." Hiccup looked away not daring to meet Astrid's eyes. He could not. He just could not see the hurt in her eyes.

Astrid felt betrayed. He was one of the few people who knew about her dreams. He was one of few people she opened to, talked about her feelings, about her past. She even had feelings for him! And he betrayed all of that.

Astrid looked at Hiccup one more time and then turned around, stomping towards her plane.

Seeing Astrid leaving, Hiccup began running towards her. He caught on her quickly and grabbed her arm. "Astrid, please, stop. Let me explain."

"You have nothing to explain to me," Astrid answered and tried to get out of Hiccup's hold, but didn't succeed. Astrid didn't dare to let the tears on her eyes drop. She just needed to have a good flight and clear her head. After that, everything would be okay. At least, that was what she kept reassuring herself.

Hiccup took hold of her other arm and turned her around.

"Please, Astrid." Hiccup let go of her and looked into her eyes. Her blue orbs weren't the same daring, brave and adventurous ones he knew. They were just… broken. "Please, Astrid. Let me explain." Hiccup offered her his hand.

Astrid didn't know if it was the pleading look in his eyes or the way his voice broke but she took his hand. Hiccup gave a little smile at that. However, seeing how Astrid looked away from him, his smile deflated.

Hiccup began leading her to the hangar. Her hand felt so warm in his. He looked at her and his heart broke. He had never imagined seeing her like this- small, broken, valuable. Moreover, when he knew he was the cause of that it killed him even more.

Hiccup opened the doors and got inside. Astrid raised her head in order to see the plane. Her eyes widened, it was the dream of every pilot. It was sleek and colored all in black. Its shape was very aerodynamic and good for tight turns. And the most important, it was supermaneuverable.

Hiccup opened the door of the plane.

"Milady first," he said bowing. Astrid didn't pay attention to him and instead got into the plane. Why was she doing this? Maybe, she just wanted to see the plane, see how infamous Night Fury or Hiccup flew it. She just wanted to see why he was better than she was.

She sat on the black leather seat and looked around. In the cockpit was only a screen. There weren't any levers, buttons, or flight instruments. How was he then controlling it?

Hiccup got into his seat and clicked on the screen. It lit up and all flight instruments displayed on the screen.

"Did you made this?" she asked genuinely curious. She knew he was a good engineer, but didn't know about his abilities.

Hiccup was caught off guard by the question. He honestly didn't expect to her to speak with him, after all of what happened. "Uhm… yeah, mostly. I found the airframe and modified it. Also, I have bought the engine, however, I added my own tweaks to it. Everything else is my work."

Astrid was amazed. However, she just nodded. She was still too angry at him.

"It's nice to see you again, sir. Good evening, Ms. Hofferson," a synthetic voice said.

"What in Thor's name!? What is this!?" Astrid yelled.

"I'm Ally. The AI of this plane."

Astrid's eyes widened. "I was right," she whispered. "After all it's the program controlling the plane!" Her eyes narrowed and she furrowed her brows.

"Hiccup! You liar! Open the doors! I'm leaving! How could I-"

"Astrid, I-"

"I'm not controlling the plane. I'm only an assistant who will help you to find information, know your vital statistics, the state of the plane, help you in-"

"Okay, Ally. I think that's enough," Hiccup interrupted the program. Astrid crossed her arms and leaned back in her seat. She was wrong and she insulted Hiccup. However, she didn't plan on apologizing.

"The plane is ready for flight, sir," Ally informed.

"Okay," Hiccup said and began clicking on the screen. "Astrid, please can you fasten your seatbelt?"

"Where are we going?" she asked harshly. Hiccup turned to her and smiled. "You'll see."

The plane began driving forward and after a few moments, it became airborne. Astrid has never been in a plane, while not flying herself, so this was a new experience for her. After a while, Hiccup turned and looked at her.

"Would you like me to do some aerobatics?" he asked smirking. Astrid has never seen this side of him. If she put all the betraying part aside, he liked this more confident Hiccup.

She scoffed. "I have been doing aerobatics for years. So don't worry of me becoming sick while Night Fury does his infamous aerobatics," she hissed.

Hiccup shrugged. "As you wish."

He pulled the stick back and the plane darted upwards. Astrid was abruptly pushed back on the seat. The plane stopped and began spinning down. Hiccup went into hammerheads and rolling loops. Astrid has never fled on these high speeds and being on the back seat didn't help at all.

The plane leveled and Astrid finally thought that this hell of a flight was over. However, as the plane's nose began going down, she paled. Hiccup began doing Kulbit. Not wanting to end with that he immediately went into the second one, making it Double Kulbit.

As Hiccup began doing Cobra's, Astrid decided to swallow her pride. She didn't know how much longer she could hold all of this. Hiccup had an iron stomach she needed to admit that.

"Please, stop! I'm sorry!" she cried with all the strength she had left. She only hoped that he could hear her.

Hiccup heard her and finishing the Tailslide, leveled the plane. He turned around and looked at the blonde.

"Hey, are you okay?"

The genuine concern was visible in his eyes. Astrid nodded. "I-I'm okay." However, her pale face said otherwise. She was holding the hand of her seat so tightly that her knuckles had whitened. "I'm okay," she said more steadily.

Hiccup turned his gaze back to the cockpit and continued flying.

The sun was setting, coloring the sky in pink. Astrid looked out of the window and the sight amazed her. She didn't want to admit but she has never seen Berk from the sky. She had been flying for years but never took a flight over the city. All she did was train and now she regretted that. She had lost a lot. This was the most beautiful sight she had ever seen.

After five minutes, the plane landed. Hiccup got out and offered his hand to Astrid. Astrid took it and got out. Her legs wobbled, but Hiccup held her arms and helped her steady. She snapped his hands and went forward.

They were on a cliff overlooking the city. On her right were the green forests of Berk. She knew this place. It was Raven's Point. Her parents loved bringing her here before the accident happened. She sighed and went to the cliff, sitting on the edge.

Hiccup followed and sat beside her. He couldn't stop gazing at her.

"Now, explain," she said not taking her gaze off the city. Hiccup sighed and fixed his gaze there too.

"It all started a few days after I met you. I was returning home when I found an airframe. I always dreamed of designing and building my own plane. That was my chance. With the help of Gobber, I transported it to the shop. I began working on it that same day and after a month, it was ready. I was working day and night and as you have noticed falling asleep during work." Hiccup chuckled at that.

"Then I had this crazy idea of learning how to fly a plane. It was my dream since I was a kid. My dad always forbid me to. He feared that something will happen to me as it happened to mom." Hiccup sighed. "I was able to convince Gobber to teach me and that's how I began my training. I was training every day and after a month, I was able to do the basics."

"Gobber was the one who convinced me to go to the championship. I didn't plan on wining, even on getting a high place. I just wanted to see what I was capable of. However, after the first day, something clicked in me. I wanted to win. I wanted to prove to everyone that I can do that. Mostly, I wanted to prove it to myself. Even you didn't believe in me," saying that Hiccup looked back at the city. He was ready for her harsh words.

Astrid wanted to protest. She wanted to say she believed in him. However, her words echoed in her mind.

I will not be surprised if he will even not be the one doing aerobatics, but a PROGRAMM!

Instead, she just looked at him and said.

"I become a pilot because of my dad. He was a pilot too. When I was little, he always took me on flights and when I grew up, he began teaching me how to control a plane. However, the accident happened and I lost him. I promised myself that I'll learn flying a plane and I'll be the best in that. Since fifteen years old, my only dream is to win the championship."

Hiccup looked at his hands guiltily.

"And I took away your dream," he said sighing. "I know you still hate me, but I'm sorry. I'm so sorry for taking your dream away. I screwed up, again. I'm just useless."

Astrid's head snapped up.

"Hiccup, you're not useless. Never dare to name yourself that again. You built an amazing plane in a month. You wrote its all program and it even has an AI! You learned flying and doing aerobatics in a month, while others including myself spend years on that. So, believe me, you're anything but useless," she said determinedly. She might be still a bit angry with him but she would not let him to self-loathe.

Hiccup looked at her and gave a small smile. "Thank you."

"You're welcome, Hiccup," Astrid said smiling back.

They sat in silence for some time, gazing at the night city.

"You know, you never told me how you got your nickname," Astrid broke the silence. Hiccup was caught off guard by the question.

"Uhm, well you know," he began, rubbing the back of his neck. "I got it when I was 4 years old. It was my birthday. My friends and family decided to throw a surprise party. I entered the dark room with my father and everyone jumped yelling 'Happy Birthday!'. I got so scared that began hiccupping. Hence, the nickname."

Hiccup laughed and Astrid joined him too. She then looked at him, a smile on her face and punched his arm.

"That's for beating me."

"I'm sorry!" Hiccup exclaimed rubbing his arm.

Astrid took the hem of his shirt and pulled him into a kiss. Hiccup's eyes widened and the words died in his throat. After a while, he closed his eyes and melted into the kiss. Astrid pulled back and the blue orbs began looking into the green. She smiled.

"And that's for everything else," she said and then added quietly. "Promise me to be careful tomorrow. Krogan can be very dangerous."

Hiccup smiled and nodded. "I promise, Milady."

Hiccup got up and offered his hand to Astrid. She took it and pulled herself up. "I think we need to leave, it's already getting pretty late," he said. Astrid nodded and they began heading back towards the plane.

* * *

A hooded man entered the hangar and approached the black plane. The man opened the metallic box in his hands and took out something that resembled a big screwdriver. He began opening the left wing. Finishing his job, he took out a small object from the box and put it in the wing. After closing the wing, he put the instrument back, closed the box and left the building.

 **So that's it. I got a bit rusty because of writing script but I think this chapter wasn't half bad. I wanted to name this chapter "Romantic Flight", however, it would be too spoilery. Please tell me what you think and see you next time :)**


	20. Chapter 20: The Final

**Chapter 20: The Final**

Hiccup woke up, as he felt something wet on his face. He opened his eyes and saw the all too familiar snot.

"Toothless!" he cried pushing the dog off him. "Bud! Come on!"

Great, another morning started all soaked in his dog's saliva. He stretched and grabbed his phone. As he saw the many notifications of the clock, his eyes widened. He overslept! Again! However, this time it was worse. He was late for the final!

Hiccup checked the time. The final race would start from forty minutes. He jumped off his bed and headed towards the bathroom. Wearing his shirt on his way down, Hiccup took his backpack, car keys and left the house.

Driving on insane speeds, he reached the old aviation college in twenty minutes. As he entered the hangar, he opened his backpack and took his suit out. Hiccup cursed as he was strapping the buckles. Why he had to make it so complicated!?

After agonizing five minutes, he got into the plane. He tapped on the screen and the program started.

"Good morning, sir," was heard Ally's robotic voice.

"Ally, do a quick start," Hiccup commanded strapping his seatbelt.

"Before starting the plane, I need to do a checkup," Ally informed.

"We don't have time for that!"

"It will only take 10 minutes, sir."

"Ally, I said to start the plane, without a checkup," Hiccup hissed annoyed. This was the most important of his life and he didn't want to be late, because the AI didn't let him start the plane.

"Starting the plane," Ally finally said. The flight instruments began appearing on the screen and after a minute, Ally informed that the plane was ready.

The plane got out of the hangar and raised to the skies. Hiccup smiled as he saw the familiar building of the company. The bleachers were bustling with many people. There were even twice more than yesterday. After all, it was the final.

He landed the plane and got out.

"And Night Fury is here!" the announcer said. "The final race started!"

Hiccup sheepishly looked around. He was ten minutes late. He saw Astrid standing in the front row, which was designed for pilots and important people. Her arms were crossed and she was looking directly at him. Hiccup couldn't see her expression but he was sure she was looking at him accusingly.

He awkwardly rubbed the back of his neck and looked at the screen. He needed to be on the track from two minutes. He got into the plane and took off. Hiccup approached the line and not long after the horn blew, signaling the start.

Hiccup darted forward, the rush of adrenaline filling his veins. He smiled. From a few minutes, his dream would come true.

It all happened in the blink of an eye. The plane was about to cross the finish line as an explosion rang in the left wing. It went crashing down and the moment it hit the ground a loud bang rang, the plane flaming up.

Astrid's hand flew to her mouth as she saw what happened. She didn't lose a second, as she passed under the security line and began running to the plane. It would soon explode and she needed to get Hiccup out of there!

The same was for Gobber, who began hobbling down the stairs.

Astrid reached the flaming plane and pried the door out. Hiccup was unconscious. His suit was torn and scratches littered his skin. His helmet was still on him and she hoped that at least it would have protected his head. She tried unstrapping his seatbelt but it didn't budge. It was stuck! Astrid continued desperately tugging, tears gathering in the corners of her eyes. She had to get him out! She couldn't leave him!

Suddenly a large pair of hands pushed her aside. Stoick broke the belt with his strong arms and took the boy out. He began running away from the plane, Astrid following him. After a few seconds, the explosion sounded behind them. The strong force pushed all three of them to the ground. Thankfully, Stoick was able to hold the boy.

He put him gently down, sitting next to him. Astrid didn't care that Hiccups' secret would be revealed, there was only one thought in her mind—'Please, let him be alive…'

Stoick took out the boy's helmet and when he saw the familiar face, he gasped. "Hiccup…"

He threw the helmet away and scooping Hiccup in his arms put his ear above his heart. When he heard the faint thumps, the tears of happiness began falling down.

"He's alive," he croaked out letting out a faint chuckle. Astrid began crying from happiness, a smile on her face. "My son is alive!"

Stoick looked at his son with a smile on his face. "The gods brought him back alive…"

That was the moment when Gobber finally reached them. He stood panting and looked at the boy. "Well, most of him."

Stoick turned to Gobber, looking at him disbelievingly. The blacksmith just shrugged and Astrid began laughing. It was a moment of pure happiness. They were all thinking only one thing—Hiccup was alive.

Not long after, the ambulance arrived, taking Hiccup to the hospital.

* * *

Hiccup blinked his eyes open. The white light was blinding. White walls surrounded him and a steady beeping filled his ears. He was in a hospital room. Hiccup turned his head and saw his father sleeping on a chair next to his bed.

He tried to sit up however a sharp pain shot up in his abdomen and his gasp woke up Stoick.

"Take it easy, son," he said pushing the boy back to the bed.

"Hey, dad," Hiccup said laying back. "What happened?"

Stoick sighed.

"You were about to pass the finish line when the plane exploded. We were able to take you out on time. You have some broken ribs, many bruises, burns, and scratches. However, the worst of all was your leg. It was burned beyond repair. The doctors weren't able to save it. I'm sorry, son," Stoick informed not able to look into Hiccup's eyes. He didn't know what his son's reactions would be. He needed to pass months of physical therapy before being able to walk again. However, no matter what, Stoick was ready to stand behind his back.

Hiccup pulled the sheets back. The half of his lower leg was missing and the stump was bandaged. He didn't know what to think about it. Hiccup sighed and looked at his hands. "I'm sorry, dad. I should've listened to you. I just-"

"Don't apologize, son. It's all my fault. I shouldn't have forbidden you to fly. It's just after what happened to your mother, I didn't want to lose you," Stoick admitted looking at Hiccup. There were unshed tears in his eyes. Hiccup was the only thing he had left of Valka. He would never be able to forget the moment he saw his son lying in his arms unconscious and probably dead.

"I'll never leave you, dad," Hiccup said noticing his father's troubled gaze. He put his hand on Stoick's big one and looked him into the eyes. "I promise."

Stoick looked at his son and smiled. "You know that lass didn't leave your side until I send her out to get some rest," he said smirking.

"Astrid is here?" Hiccup beamed.

"Of course. I'll get her if you want."

Hiccup nodded and Stoick stood up heading towards the door. Astrid was sitting in front of the room, her arms folded and tapping her foot. When she saw Stoick, she jumped at her feet and ran to him.

"Is everything okay?" she said looking into the man's eyes hoping to find any reaction.

Stoick smiled. "Yes, everything is okay. Moreover, it's better. He has woken up and wants to see you." As Astrid heard that she beamed and was about to enter the room when a big hand landed on her shoulder.

"Astrid, wait."

Astrid turned to Stoick, waiting for what he had to say. She wanted to see Hiccup as soon as she could. Also, she still wasn't in best terms with Stoick. They were both too busy with worrying for Hiccup, in order to be angry at each other.

Stoick clasped his hands and looked at her. "I want to… apologize for the things I said."

Astrid was surprised. She knew that Stoick wasn't that kind of who apologized frequently. Yes, he had hurt her feelings. However, she was ready to forgive him. She nodded. "I'm sorry too. We both said things that we regretted."

There was a silence for some time and Astrid was about to enter Hiccup's room when Stoick words stopped her. "Will you return to the company?" Astrid turned to Stoick, surprise in her eyes. She accepted his apology and hoped he had accepted hers. However, she didn't think Stoick would want her back after all of what happened.

She turned to Stoick and gave a small smile. "I would love to, sir," she said and Stoick smiled.

"Go, lass. I won't hold you anymore."

Astrid nodded and entered the room.

Hiccup was sitting on his bed, his legs dangling from the side. When he saw Astrid a huge smile appeared on his face.

"Hey."

"Hi," Astrid greeted closing the door after her. She went to the chair next to his bed and sat there. "You still need to rest," she said pushing him back to the bed.

"But I'm tired of laying!" Hiccup whined slumping back on his bed. He instantly regretted that as a sharp pain shoot through his ribs. Astrid chuckled. "Of course you would. After all, you have been in a coma for a week," she said. Hiccup's eyes widened.

"For a week!?" he asked shocked. Astrid nodded, the smile disappearing from her face. She didn't want to remember. The sirens of the ambulance. Doctors saying that they can't save his leg. Blood. So much blood.

She shook her thoughts away and instead concentrated on Hiccup and the fact that he was here, with her and awake. She lightly punched his shoulder.

"That's for almost getting killed."

"Hey!" Hiccup cried rubbing his shoulder. Her punch wasn't hard; however, all of his muscles were sore after being still for a week. "I'm injured."

Astrid rolled her eyes and hauled him for a kiss. The kiss didn't last long, however, Astrid poured all her happiness in it. All her worries were gone in an instant. She soon retreated and looking him into eyes, smiled. Hiccup smiled back.

"Hey, H!" And the moment was ruined.

Hiccup turned seeing whole gang, consisting of Fishlegs, twins and even Snotlout coming inside.

"We're so glad you're okay!" Fishlegs squealed.

"That was totally crazy!" Ruff yelled running to Hiccup's side. "I like that," she continued in suggestive tone. Hiccup leaned back trying to get away from the crazy twin. Astrid's glare was enough to send her back. No one wanted to mess with Astrid Hofferson.

The gang began chatting, telling how popular he got. All of Berk was talking about him. They also told him that Krogan was found guilty for the explosion. Hiccup smiled, as he found out that they were able to get the footage from his plane and that's how Krogan was caught. He internally praised himself for putting a camera.

The next news made Hiccup overjoyed. He had won the championship! Krogan got disqualified and the cup was his. Hiccup didn't want to win that way, however, his friends assured him that even if Krogan didn't get disqualified, he would win.

All the time when the gang was chatting, Snotlout was standing in the corner silently. That wasn't like him.

It had passed an hour and everyone needed to get back to work. They all left the room except Snotlout. Hiccup stared at his cousin for some time.

"Um, Snotlout, is there anything I can help you with?" Hiccup asked hesitating. He and his cousin weren't on best terms and he was even surprised that he came.

"Yes!" Snotlout exclaimed startling Hiccup. "Um, eh, no. I mean, no," he added playing with his fingers.

"Okaay," Hiccup was completely weirded out by his cousin. He has never seen him so nervous. He was always too confident for his own good.

Snotlout continued fidgeting with his hands and then finally finding the courage spoke up. "I'm sorry," he mumbled.

"What?" Hiccup asked surprised. Was it he or Snotlout was apologizing?

Snotlout took a deep breath and looked Hiccup into the eyes. "I'm sorry," he said louder. "I'm sorry for bullying you in high school. Calling you useless and such. It's just-" he stopped. Hiccup didn't push him. It was noticeable that this was hard for him. "It's just I-I was… jealous."

"Jealous?" Hiccup asked his eyebrows raising. "Of me?"

"Yes," Snotlout said more confident this time. "You were always that smart kid who was good at everything. Well, except sports. And me? I only could toss a ball. Every time, even when I won a game, I could see the disappointment in my father's eyes."

Hiccup was completely stunned. He never waited for a confession like this from his cousin. However, it wasn't news to him that Snotlout always tried to please his father and never succeeded. And he knew that it deeply upset Snotlout.

"When we finished high school, we both went to college," Snotlout continued. "You got your engineering degree and began working in the company. It didn't even pass long and you became the best engineer! And me? I can even barely control my plane! It was the only thing that I was better in than you were! And now you have built your own plane and are the best pilot in Archipelago! I'm just nothing compared to you!" After finally getting out Snotlout sighed and looked down.

Hiccup examined the broken shape of his cousin.

"Snotlout, you are not nothing," he said looking to his cousin straight into the eyes. "You are the second best pilot in Berk, after Astrid. That's not nothing and I'm really sorry that your father can't see that in you."

Snotlout raised his head and gave a small smile. "Yeah, I-I think you're right," he said and then smiled. "Thank you. I'll leave now. You need to rest. See you later, cuz." Saying that Snotlout left the room.

Hiccup sighed and laid back in his bed.

A few months ago, he just couldn't have imagined how his life would change. He had built his own plane, learned to fly, won the championship, became friends with the gang, solved problems with his cousin and got an amazing girlfriend. Hiccup smiled. Well, he still needed to ask Astrid about that.

 **Hey guys! So this is it—the end! I have been writing this story for almost a year and now it's over. It improved my writing a lot. This story had lots of plot holes and I was literally thinking on the spot. But well, this was my first, normal, multi-chaptered fanfiction.**

 **I'm planning on rewriting some of my older works. I have lots of ideas in my mind that I hope I'll write. Now, I'm working on another multi-chaptered story. I already have a rough outline. I want to write at least half of the chapters before publishing so I can update by schedule. Meanwhile, I'm going to write one-shots.**

 **This story will not have a sequel; however, I have a one-shot in mind that will be set in this universe ;)**

 **Please tell me what you think. See you next time!**


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